Cannonfodder
by Shadow and Flame
Summary: Creatures are being gathered on a Predator's ship for the ultimate hunt. When a student who's met Predators before is taken she wonders, was it chance or is she here to settle a score? Sorry guys, on hold for now.
1. Guess who's back

It was dark, but Joanne could still see the vague shapes of her surroundings. An overcast night sky hid the brilliance of the full moon, and the faint orange glow of street lights did little to banish the gloom. Her heart beat was picking up and her breath coming quicker as she peered around, wishing for light so she could see where the hell she was and where the one who pursued her lurked.  
Oh yes, she knew she was being followed, and knew what it was that stalked her.  
And she was scared.  
She'd tried to keep it together at first, she knew these creatures and also knew that for her to be targeted was a mistake, but after an hour of running from the 'shadow' and watching people being suddenly dismembered she knew that nothing was going to save her. There was no mistake, it wanted her and what these things wanted, they took.  
Joanne started to swear under her breath, the need to do something filling her. Yet no matter where she ran it would follow, and besides she didn't know where it was for the minute. Running straight into the thing because she'd panicked was probably not the best course of action, yet she couldn't keep a grip on herself forever.  
Maybe it knew that eventually she'd loose it and run straight across its deadly path, and that's why it was waiting.  
Or maybe it just thought her plight and visible distress where amusing.  
Joanne's face contorted into an angry grimace as tears streamed down her dirt streaked face. She wished the bastard could feel what it was like, to be humiliated and terrified, chased to exhaustion with no hope of escape.  
Thoughts of her friends, family, and the people she'd seen die tonight flashed across her mind. There'd been so much blood…. In her head she could see the shape of her attacker, outlined in it after a particularly messy attack on a couple in the wrong place at the wrong time. She'd watched it tear through them, unable to move, as more of its form was revealed while its blades did their work, cloaking effect spoilt by the gore that covered it. Whether such a gruesome display was unintentional or meant to petrify her more Joanne didn't know, as its other killings, while sudden, had been neater and less messy. Before it vanished once again the dripping form had looked at her, glared, as if to say 'I know where you are, and I could have you now, but why bother when the chase is so much more amusing?'

>**_I DON'T WANT TO DIE HERE…_** Her thoughts screamed as she started moving again. She couldn't stand still and wait for death any longer, her terror driving her on into the night. Her breath came in ragged gasps as she pelted through the never ending darkness, all control gone as she blindly ran.  
As she ran there was nothing, no land features she could identify, no people to go to. Tears dripped down her face once more, like she'd go to them anyway, like she'd lead that thing to more innocent people.  
Too many had died tonight simply because she'd lacked the strength to lead the monster chasing her away from others. More tears came, blurring her vision so she truly was blind until she wiped them clear with her sleeve. Dirt from her filthy clothing got into one of her eyes, and she was forced to stop her desperate flight to try and get it out.Standing still, she cleaned one of her fingers before using it to rub out the dirt. She tried listening, to see if she could hear anything close to her, but all was quiet except from her heavy breaths punctuated by sniffs now and then. Looking around, she was now on the edges of a wood or forest, with trees here and there but getting denser up ahead.  
Was the silence a good thing? Had she got away?  
No, she told herself. How cold a mere 18 year old escape from a being that was the ultimate hunter. It was probably playing games with her again, and while she felt anger at such humiliation it was a whimper that escaped her lips.  
Then a faint clicking sound came to her ears, brief and so faint she doubted if she had heard it at all…

**THUMP** - something heavy dropped to the floor, its landing muffled by the dead leaves that coated the ground.

Joanne spun, trying to pinpoint the direction of the sound.  
Nothing.  
Her breathing was speeding up again, and soft whimpers coming more often as her fatigue and the knowledge that she could not escape overwhelmed her.

>**_This can't be it, _**she thought**_ >this cannot be how I end. After everything I've been through I can't just die here on this cockbite's blades, UGH some one help me_**

Leaves rustled, but she couldn't tell where, something was coming nearer.  
Then pain exploded through her head, she dropped to the ground clutching its sides, unable even to utter a sound at the pain…

>**_Had enough human?_** The presence demanded. Its tone was filled with contempt and anger.

Joanne didn't, couldn't reply. God her head hadn't hurt like this for ages, why was it so painful now?

>**_Because I'm making it hurt._** The presence informed her. Something picked Joanne up by the neck and squeezed hard, not enough to kill but on top of her head pain it was excruciating. She gasped for breath and her hands fumbled at the arm of the thing that held her, weakly trying to pry herself loose. A low clicking sound once again reached her ears as she felt waves of amusement and scorn pulse from the being.

>**_So weak, how did you ever escape me?_** The cloaking device was turned off and Joanne gasped as what she already knew was confirmed not 10 inches from her face.  
A Predator.  
And not just anyone, she realised looking at its harsh mask, she knew this creature…

>_**You thought I'd just run like a coward? And leave you alone?** **AFTER YOU WHERE RESPONSIBLE FOR MY DOWNFALL?**_ His hatred for her struck her like a blow, before he threw her into the nearest tree trunk. The impact drove what little breath she had from her, and something cracked. Blinking in pain and gasping for breath she watched the Predator stalk up to her.

>**_You…_**  
>**_You deserved it_**

The Predator once again seized her by the neck with one clawed hand, bringing her up to his 7 foot eye line. With the other hand he undid the mask covering his face, and his mandibles waved and clicked angrily in front of her. Yellow eyes burned into hers, and dots swam before her eyes as lack of oxygen started to take effect.

>**_Die_**

With a simple clench of his fist the Predator unsheathed his long wrist blades before slowly sliding them into Joanne's chest, her rib cage being no match for his strength. The wet sound of ripping flesh and pain as bones splintered jolted through her and…

Joanne gasped loudly, waking up.

Her eyes flew wide open, darting from side to side, yet only her familiar college room greeted her.Her hands were clenched, gripping the sheets and cover which was wrapped and tangled around her body. Clearly she'd been tossing and turning quite violently, but after a dream like that it wasn't surprising.Joanne forced herself to calm down, and tried taking slower, deeper breaths. She convinced her fingers to release their grip on the bedding while her eyes moved over her room, checking every shadow for anything unusual.  
But there was nothing.  
It had just been a dream.  
The wind rattled branches against her window, making her jump, but now she was calmer, she knew no one was here except her. Well, there were her fellow students at the college, in rooms next to and opposite hers, but nothing threatening. No 7 foot intergalactic hunters looking for blood and revenge at any rate.  
Joanne sighed. False alarm.  
Yet something told her that things weren't as simple as that.

Just a dream? Maybe.  
She frowned.  
Then again, maybe not…


	2. Everyday life

_Hey, here's some stuff that didn't fit in the summary and that I forgot to put in the first chapter before the next one starts._

_I don't own Aliens or Predators. Apparently I do own anyone I make up..._

_The fic is rated PG-13 for language and violence but it might have to go up before too long hope that doesn't put anyone off_

_Finally, please bare with this chapter, its sorta needed even if nothing that much happens in it. Enjoy and please Rn'R if u have time : )

* * *

_The day had come and gone, with nothing unusual, and Joanne was slowly walking back to college with friends from her last lecture. It was Friday, and now they were all free for the weekend no one was in a hurry to go anywhere, a nice contrast to the rushed day they'd all just had.

"So we're gonna go out tonight yeah guys?" Charlotte, younger than Joanne and the nicest person she knew, hesitantly asked. She was always shy, even when among friends, but if there ever was someone who'd always be there for you, it was Charlotte.

"Of course! We all like totally deserve it!" came Katie's reply. Katie was the social lioness, or at least she liked to think so. Pretty and chatty, Katie was another good friend of Joanne's who lived for the social side of college rather than the intellectual one. Not to say she wasn't smart, she just didn't throw herself into her studies like others in the group. Katie grinned happily, "We're ALL going out! And that means you too Joanne, don't think I haven't noticed how lame your excuses for staying in are getting!"

Joanne smiled back, knowing she didn't really mean it, but Katie had a point. She sighed inwardly, she used to be such a party animal, always up there dancing and drinking the night away with Katie. They had been partners, and had slowly been introducing Charlotte to their ways when suddenly, after the last summer holidays had passed, Joanne had stopped going out. She also kept to herself a lot more, and there was something different about her that none of her friends could put their finger on let alone know how to react to. They just knew something had changed, but Joanne was keeping quiet about it.

While Katie and Charlotte began discussing outfits, Joanne felt the familiar murmurings across her mind that indicated she had stopped concentrating on keeping others out. She frowned slightly as she focused until her head was clear again. She hadn't wanted to be telepathic, but she hadn't been given a choice, and she wasn't going to pretend that it didn't have its uses sometime. Ever since the, 'incident', she had enforced a private rule that she would never hear another's thoughts, although there frequently were exceptions where finding out was important, useful or just plain amusing. Joanne smiled openly as she mentally scolded herself for misusing her mind, she was only 18 after all, and the complex social relationships uni life had created meant using her advantage to head off arguments was worth the moral debates she waged in her head.

Telepathy was an unusual skill for an 18 year old undergraduate, and the circumstances in which she'd gained the power were even more strange. Joanne's face became expressionless as she recalled the details, thinking back to a time when, not to put too fine a point on it, telepathy and the bastard that gave it to her where all simply film material or hoaxes for the gullible. About half a year ago, three predators had come to a large shopping complex Joanne was visiting, armed to the teeth and gagging to kill stuff. She gathered it was some sort of ritual but the only details she cared for was the killing, skinning and general carnage they had caused. Still, she had been incredibly lucky and managed to steal one of their projectile weapons having knocked out one of the things by pure chance. She then naively set off to kill the others, and to cut a long story short one of the remaining two was a cheating git. He caused the death of the remaining predator, by pulling the other in front of a shot Joanne had fired to save himself, and had then forced his mind into hers to terrify, confuse and hunt her. Joanne had later learned the young male had been using several illegal concoctions to enhance his mental abilities, and now that her mind had been ripped open to such things she was stuck with it. The only way she had gotten out of the mess was by revealing the males deceptiveness, as she had been pretty sure that noble hunters would not approve of his actions. In the end he'd done a runner, hijacking a space ship to try and get away from the furious elders, and Joanne had been promised that she'd be left alone by predator kind from now on to show their gratitude for revealing the scum for what he was. Joanne chuckled, killing a senior's promising first born son had not been a good move for Cth'ctchi. She never did find out how it all had ended, but personally hoped they caught and punished him suitably. Joanne also had a sense of honour and the look on the betrayed Predator's face as he realised his trust in a team mate was misplaced would stay with her for a long time yet. Then she shook herself slightly, what did she care? If it hadn't had been an elder's son Cth'ctchi had killed then she would be dead now... she shuddered remebering how all of the 'damage control' Predators, who'd come to Earth to make sure no trace of their technology was left, had wanted to kill her. However their leader, father of the betrayed and dead Predator in the Mall, had over ruled them and spared her life. She had been so relieved when she knew she wasn't going to die that day... and then her happiness turned to horror as the elder seized her, held her down and using his wrist blades carved a symbol into her stomach. The slashes hadn't been deep, but they had left scars around her belly button, forming a triangle with three lines coming from its center pointing out of its sides. While she hadn't been grateful at the time, this apparently meant she could not be harmed by a Predator, ever. She remebered trying to think up an excuss for the stupid thing to her boyfriend... the best she could come up with being 'I was drunk and woke up with it'. Joanne sighed, not the best line to encourage her partner to trust her.

"Joanne? JOANNE!"

"Mmmh?" she focused on the person trying to get her attention, pulling herself back to the real world. This earned giggles from all present; even before she was psychic her tendency to daydream was a well established amusement source, and pulling her mind to the present rather than the past, Joanne focused on the person talking to her,

"Where were you that time Joanne?" Katie asked still giggling, "Honestly we could hit you with, I dunno, a large blunt object and still not get your attention when you're off in your own little world!"

"Who cares where she was." A guy who'd been waiting for them against some hedges cut in, "What I wanna know is where she'll be tonight." He looked at Joanne, "You said you'd come out sometime this week and now its Friday! So you either come out or you'll have lied to all you're bestest buddies…." It was another one of her inner circle, Alex, and he started doing cute disappointed puppy dog eyes at her, badly, before breaking out into a grin. "C'mon Joanne… you know you want to really."

"Yeah and you can so wear one of those tops you bought last week!" Katie said, her tone getting higher with each syllable. "And once you've broken them in I can finally borrow some!" She flashed Joanne a happy smile; nothing pleased her more than clothes, or talking about them as clichéd as it was.

"Honestly! Which one are you after now!" Joanne asked, plastering a mock insulted look across her face, "seriously Katie, just borrow which ever one's caught your eye! You'll look better in any of them than me."

"Hey, I don't think so!" Alex cut in, the grin flashing once more, causing Katie to pretend to be insulted and Joanne to turn away slightly to hide her smile, Alex might be over zealous with his compliments but hey, a girl can never have enough as far as she was concerned. Alex was only messing around anyway; Joanne was taken, and had been for the past two years. She smiled, thinking about Matt, and wished she could tell him why she'd become more and more distant over the past 6 months. Couples should keep nothing from each other, she knew that, yet the truth, 'Predators attacked me, made me psychic and now I can hear your thoughts' was too bizarre. Even if he believed her, would he trust her anymore, knowing she could see into his mind?

Joanne allowed herself to be talked into going out that night as her friends where having so much fun doing it. In truth she'd shied away from the night scene because the sheer force of dunk, high, horny minds crammed together and bearing down on her head was irritating to actually painful, but she was fed up of limiting herself, and was getting better at controlling, 'it'. She told herself there was no reason why her love for clubbing couldn't be indulged once more.

She grinned at them all, "Where, when and what?" her eyes glittering at the thought of going out again.

"Moons, 10 o'clock, no theme, just being gorgeous and adored by men!" Katie intoned while Charlotte hopped up and down on the spot, all shyness gone clearly hyper already,

"Yes yes yes yes yes!" Charlotte cried "we're going out tonight!" and with that she was off, bouncing and singing variations to that theme down the corridor to her room.

Everyone went their separate ways and Joanne still smiling arrived at her door. While she was happy and excited about tonight, her old fear that they no longer wanted her to go out with them due to her descent into seclusion still lurked about in her head. She turned the lock and sent a questioning thought out to each of her friends, overriding the ethical injustices involved in reading people's private thoughts, and happily found nothing more negative about her than how she could eat 3 packets of crisps most days and not be too fat.  
Grinning openly now Joanne retrieved her thoughts. She went into the room, dumped her bag on the floor and took her coat off, dropping her keys in the process. She quickly bent to pick them up, and when she looked up she saw a brief haze of, well nothing really, just a bit of air that didn't look right….

Before she could make the connection something hit her in the neck. Joanne had time to put her hand to side of her throat and feel something hard stuck there before waves of numbness struck her limbs and took all control from her. As the unknown drug pumped round her system, she had time to sense the animosity directed at her from her attacker before she passed out, smashing her head against a desk before slumping to the ground.

The haze moved over the fallen figure, and as if by its own accord, the door to the room slowly closed_.

* * *

_

_I know this chapters lacking in Predators or action of any sort but we should see them again soon...  
hope the random telepathy doesn't put people off too : ) _


	3. Sleeping with the enemy

It was half past eleven, and Katie Richardson strode down the hall to Joanne's door. She angrily thumped on it as hard as she could, as Charlotte and Alex caught up with her.

"JOANNE ARE YOU IN THERE? JOANNE?"

"Katie, leave her alone, she wouldn't just ditch us for no reason…" Alex began, trying to placate his enraged friend.

"My arse she wouldn't! She's not our friend anymore Alex! She's too busy brooding about whatever's been getting at her for the last load of months! She doesn't care about anything anymore except her stupid grades and bloody Matt!"

"Katie…"

"IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE DOING IN THERE JOANNE? YOU'RE PRECIOUS BOYFRIEND? FOR GODS SAKE WHOEVER HEARD OF A GAL GIVE UP HER FRIENDS OVER SOME GUY!"

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Came a voice from down the corridor, approaching them. It was Matt.

"Ok Matt, maybe YOU can get her to come out of there, or at least reply! I've been talking to her for like EVER and she's totally been ignoring me." Katie said, giving up on the door banging and offering the position to him.

"Yeah, I know, and so does everyone in a 10 meter radius of here. Call that talking? You're gonna break her door down doing stuff like that." Matt said, slightly annoyed at the fuming brunette, and he lightly tapped at the door, "Joanne? You in there? Hey what's wrong? Why haven't you been replying to me?"

Matt pulled away from the door, a worried look on his face, "I've been texting her for the last two hours, but haven't got one reply."

"Wow," said Katie, "you guys have a fight or something? She never misses replying to texts, well to you at least…" a slightly accusative tone crept into Katie's last few words but her heart wasn't in it, Joanne always kept in contact with Matt, and if she was shutting him out then something really must be wrong with her.

"Yeah, haven't heard anything from her, so I came down here to see if she was ok and found you guys..."

"She was meant to meet us at 10 to go out," Charlotte said, "and she didn't show so we went without her."

"Yeah and then Katie had a few drinks and decided a screaming match would be the best way to see why she didn't come" Alex finished, glaring a little at Katie, who obviously didn't give a damm.

"Well she's the one who stood us up, what is she too good for us now? HEY JOANNE! IS THAT IT? WE'RE NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU ANYMORE?"

"Maybe we should try and call her," said Charlotte, looking at Matt, clearly anxious about her friend. Matt pulled out his mobile and tried. The sound of Joanne's ring tone came through the door.

"Well her phone's in there…" Alex said, stating the obvious.

"No shit Sherlock." Katie retorted, her anger at Joanne and the beginnings of concern making her snappy.

As Katie and Alex started to bicker Charlotte came up to Matt. He was clearly thinking about Joanne and what she was doing that required shutting everyone out, not really noticing the verbal conflict behind him. Charlotte started to say that she was sure everything was fine when Matt tried the doorknob of the room, to see if it was locked.

"Joanne?" He said as he realised it was open; she never left her door unlocked unless she was in. Behind him Katie and Alex had shut up, watching Matt and waiting for Joanne to reply. There was none, so Matt opened the door.

The room was dark, but they could still see things by the light that came in from the window. The curtains were not drawn and light from the moon and outdoor lighting was all that illuminated the place. Matt wandered in, still softly calling Joanne's name, but when it was obvious she wasn't here he motioned the others to enter. Alex flipped the light switch and they all winced, covering their eyes at the sudden light. As they got used to it they looked at each other, all thinking the same thing. Where the hell was she?

"Don't worry guys," Charlotte began once more, "she's got to be somewhere. Maybe she just wanted some time alone…"

Alex wasn't listening. Matt might be her boyfriend but that didn't stop him from being just as worried about this whole God damm situation. He looked around the room, but there was nothing. Everything was here except Joanne…

"Guys," he said, swallowing nervously, "what's that?"

They all turned as one to look at where Alex was pointing, to a dark stain on the floor by Joanne's desk.

* * *

While the seriousness of Joanne's absence was beginning to dawn upon her friends, Joanne slept. She had a large cut on the side of her head, which was no longer bleeding and had become a clotted tangle of blood and hair. Dried trickles of blood ran across her forhead, and there was a tiny mark on her neck, as if a needle had been removed from there. Her lips parted slightly before her eyelids twitched, signalling that her mind was trying to make its way back in control. As she slowly approached consciousness she felt how powerful the drug in her was and somehow knew she couldn't fight it for long. Something in her mind rankled at that, and she tried harder to open her eyes, somehow everything would be ok if she just opened her eyes…  
What had happened to her? She couldn't think, details and thoughts slipped from her grasp as if they were coated in oil, and she struggled weakly against the drug that held her like this… 

Light.

It was blinding, searing and caused her head to pulse with pain. Her eyes clamped shut again out of reflex and she tried to get her arms to move but they wouldn't… she couldn't make them… eyes fluttered open again, but she couldn't see, it was too bright! She could feel the drug begin to take over again, pulling her down, away from all sensations when the light was dimmed. Joanne forced her eyes open, knowing she didn't have much time before she was out again and found herself looking straight at another person. She gasped, he was inches from her face, slack jawed, eyes blurry and unseeing. She though he was dead but then she saw him breathing and somehow registered he was, like her, drugged. An arm that didn't belong to him was limp across his chest, Joanne stared at it. Where there more people like them? She tried to sit up but the effort proved too much for her and her head lolled to face upward. As the drug's numbing fingers took over once more Joanne saw what had blocked the over-head light by standing over her, to watch her struggle. She recognised what it was and before she fell unconscious she managed to speak,

"Oh fuck…"

Then she was beyond feeling, seeing, any of her senses and even the throbbing of her head. Her eyes closed and her breathing resumed at a calm, steady pace.

* * *

D'ran watched the female loose her battle with the sedative and resume sleeping. As if a human could beat a drug designed by the Yautja. He looked at the long rows of unconscious humans; all collected and dumped on the floor, sedated until everything was ready. He clicked in anticipation; nothing like this had been done before, a chance for glory and honor that no others possessed… 

The female stirred once more, and D'ran watched to see if she'd wake up again, scanning her vitals for any abnormalities, but there was nothing, and she remained asleep.

He wondered why Cth'ctchi had told him to watch her particularly, to him all humans where the same, but he wasn't about to disobey orders this close to the hunt. He looked over the girl, how could she have caused Cth'ctchi's fall from grace? Humans could be resourceful, that he'd admit, and he bore a long scar on his mid section for underestimating one once, but…

D'ran shook his head. He couldn't understand how this tiny creature had evaded a warrior Yautja in his prime.

He strode over to a display panel on the wall of the chamber and tapped several keys smartly. The display brought up symbols that detailed the progress of the preparations. D'ran grunted in satisfaction and then cast his gaze over his sleeping charges. Even babysitting humans was worth what would take place in the next few days. As he sat back down again, four Predators came into the room. D'ran didn't know three of them, but he could see they where new recruits. The ship's ranks had filled out a bit over the past month as the annual adutlhood trials took place. In a ship of outcasts looking for a way to regain their honour, the young failures of this year trails didn't feel so rejected and dishonoured here, even if some of the 'elders' looked at them with disdain. D'ran was one of them, he'd managed the trails no problem and that, in his and his society's eyes, made him better than these poor excuses for Predators. The one he did know, and respect, was Rea'gul, older and more experienced in combat than he was and one of the few worthy of esteem on this craft.

"We need some of the soft meat; the queen has begun to lay." Rea'gul said.

"Take whatever you need." D'ran replied, instantly deferring to a superior's orders. Rea'gul motioned for the younger ones to begin carrying humans away. They worked in silence while Rea'gul and D'ran spoke quietly to each other about the progress of the preparations in general and the Queen in particular.

"Is it a good Queen?" D'ran asked

"We will know when the first creatures are fully formed, that is why we need these." He looked at D'ran, "For tests to make sure we have the best for the hunt"

D'ran nodded. One of the young Predators picked Joanne up and began carrying her away when Rea'gul stopped him.

"Not that one, to die from a hard meat's emergence would be too simpler a death for her. Woe betide any who take her life if not by Cth'ctchi's orders, for she is his mouse to play with when the hunt comes."

The young Predator nodded and replaced Joanne in the line of unconscious humans, taking the male next to her instead. After about 15 humans where removed the four did not return for more, leaving D'ran to continue his silent vigil over the sleeping humans.

Joanne slept on, unknowing of how close she had just come to death.

* * *

_Hope you guys like, any thoughts or corrections (I really don't know that much about Predators except what AVP depicted) send them to me : )  
_


	4. So it begins

It was time.

Everything was ready, after months of preparations the hunt would finally commence. Cth'ctchi looked over the control and display panels, which could tell him anything about the events occurring in the ship and also gave him control over all the things in it. He flexed his fingers, then began typing rapidly at a key board. He had never felt so powerful, all these creatures under his control… even the Predators on the ship deferred to him. An evil look as he anticipated the carnage to come spread across his face. Time to wake some of their inhabitants up…He selected the lesser predatory species category containing creatures gathered from several galaxies, although this group was predominantly made up of Earth creatures being as they'd spent so much time there gathering humans. He looked at the two other categories, the Yautja and of course the Xenomorphs… It was tempting to simply release all at once and see who emerged the strongest for him to challenge, but he restrained himself. Pulling up a visual of the human holding pen he turned on the communication system between that room and the control bridge.

"D'ran?"

"Yes my Elder?" D'ran replied, hating that he was reduced to referring to Cth'ctchi with such a respectful title. He was only older by 4 months!

"Separate the humans, placing them in different areas in the ship. Some in groups, some on their own. Give each of them a weapon of some description. Then wake them up. Keep you're over aggressive instincts to yourself, do not harm any of them"

The com system cut out before D'ran could acknowledge the order, and such blatant insolence in the way Cth'ctchi treated and spoke to him was infuriating. C'th'ctchi was D'ran's equal, if not inferior, so putting up with such disrespect was hard on his pride. D'ran punched in the code for Rea'gul's com set slightly harder than necessary, knowing that all the recruits would be with him helping manage the Queen.

"Yes D'ran?"

"I need some assistants, if you have any to spare" he added, not forgetting his manners unlike their arrogant 'leader', "Cth'ctchi has ordered the humans to be put into place"

"I will send some up immediately. The Queen sleeps, so there is not much to do here."

With that Rea'gul was gone. D'ran paced the length o the chamber to work off some aggravation. Why had Rea'gul not supplanted Cth'ctchi as the ships commander? He was the rightful leader here, the only one among them who was truly worthy of respect. But then, it was Cth'ctchi who had thought up and organised this hunt, something D'ran doubted Rea'gul would have done despite his respect for the old Yautja. And there was Cth'ctchi's 'special abilities'… He snarled slightly, using banned substances to gain advantage over your peers and betters was a cowardly way to gain command of a ship…  
Six young Predators then entered the chamber. D'ran watched them silently file in, then repeated Cth'ctchi's orders to them. After making sure they all knew how to administer the stimulant which would wake the humans up, and checking there were enough weapons for each human to have one, D'ran left them to it, heading back to his quarters to get some rest before the hunt began.

* * *

After about an hour and a half, it was finally Joanne's turn to be picked up and moved. A Predator named Ad'risti heaved her over his shoulder and began walking to the door, when another young male stopped him briefly. 

"When we came down to get soft meat for the eggs, Rea'gul spared her saying Cth'ctchi hates her, and was to be saved for the hunt. If he really does despise her that much, then if we make her suffer he'll be pleased"

Ad'risti nodded, "and maybe then D'ran would back off us a little. He hates Cth'ctchi but doesn't have the strength to challenge him himself. If we're in Cth'ctchi's favour, he can't keep harassing and humiliating us."

The other male clasped Ad'risti's shoulder before going into the chamber to get a human of his own. Ad'risti looked at the unconscious, upside down face of the human he carried. There was nothing special about her, he thought, except the fact she had a head wound, strange because those sent gathering the humans had been ordered not to harm them… A string of drool slowly oozed from the girls mouth and landed on his chest plate. Ad'risti snorted in disgust and went to find the most miserable hole in the ship to leave her in.

* * *

It was dark. Really dark.  
A low groan emerged from a figure on the floor, and Joanne sat up, brushing hair out of her face slowly. The upright position triggered aches to blossom all over her body, and her head felt about six times its normal size. She groaned once again, closing her eyes and clutching her head trying to will the throbbing to stop, and felt the matted tangle that was her hair. She tried running her fingers through it but they snagged painfully on the knots and snarls her little adventure had created. 

"ugghh…" She said, trying to massage the numbness from her arms and legs. After all that time unconscious the blood flow to them had stopped, giving her a tingling bouts of pins and needles. She slowly did a rough check on herself to see if she was injured or restrained in any way but all she could find was the gash on her head, which while a mess had stopped bleeding a long time ago by the feel of it.

**_>Ugh were on earth am I? _**She thought, looking around herself and straining her eyes in the darkness. She couldn't make out much; the only light to see by was some distance away and coming from round a bend by the look of it. Instead she felt around her, and her hands touched an object lying beside her. She picked it up and held it close to her face, trying to make out what it was…

"Oww!" She said as one of her questioning fingers was sliced on a sharp edge. Sucking her finger she summarised she was holding a knife or dagger, about 30 cm long. She frowned, why would this be by her side?

**_>Well at least I know it's sharp…_** she thought, scowling at the knife. She put it down and felt the floor once more, it was a metal grid really and now she was more alert and focusing on her surroundings she could hear the steady drip of water nearby. She shivered, suddenly realising how cold she was and that parts of her clothing were soaked.

**_>Ok. Its dark, I'm freezing and wet. I have no idea how I got here or where I am. This is so not good…_**

Joanne tried to stand up but her body wasn't listening. It took a further two attempts to get her on her feet, and when she finally got upright it took a couple of minutes for her to regain some semblance of balance. As she took a slightly wobbly step forward her foot kicked the knife she'd found ahead of her and she swore loudly, the sound echoing slightly in the quiet chamber. Being as she couldn't find it by looking, and that it must have been left with her for a reason, Joanne got on her knees and started feeling for it. She found it eventually, then hauled herself up once more onto her feet. She sighed and started to walk slowly towards the only light she could see, holding the knife in her hand. As she stumbled toward whatever lay up ahead she tried to think. Tried to remember how she got here. Her headache promptly reappeared but she kept trying. If nothing else it gave her something to do beside speculate about how much shit she was in this time…

* * *

Cth'ctchi looked at the readings from all the humans, now awake and either panicking, wandering around or both. He chuckled, stupid creatures. Some where examining the weapons they had found beside them, and several fights, both physical and verbal, had broken out amongst the humans in groups over the best weapons and what they should do now.  
He brought up another panel onscreen. This detailed the status of all the creatures in the 'lesser predator' classification on board the ship. They all where awake and generally bad tempered. Cth'ctchi grinned; they were probably hungry too…  
He pressed a key and panels on each of the enclosures slide away to reveal tunnels. While some of the animals immediately went down these paths, others refused, staying in their cages.  
Cth'ctchi frowned, and pressed another key. In each of the enclosures a small taser emerged from the wall, programmed to target heat or movement. In the empty enclosures these did nothing, but in the ones with creatures still inside…  
As the last of the beasts fled down their appointed escape path a smile returned to the Predator's face. The hunt had begun.

* * *

Joanne wandered around the walkways she had found aimlessly. She tried sensing her surroundings with her mind but it was too painful, and she winced as her headache came back twofold. She still had her knife and still was walking off the effects of the sedative she'd been given. Her memory had come back in patches; she had been knocked out and taken, somewhere… 

She looked at the walls harder, they had strange markings she'd never seen before on them in places, while the rest of the walls where bare metal. The floor beneath her feet was still a metal grating, and pipes ran above her head transporting God knows what to God knows where.

**_>What the fuck is going on…? _**She thought for the billionth time since she'd woken up. She turned around and went back the way she had come, searching for the dead end she'd found a couple of minutes ago, figuring this was as safe a place as any to try and figure things out. Finding the blocked passage, she curled up in on of its corners, trying to warm herself a little, while she forced herself to try and remember what had happened…

_Joanne could see her room, but things weren't right there. Two police officers where walking around it, one making notes while the other examined the floor by her desk…Her father was there! What was he doing, she didn't know he was coming to see her! And there was her mother, but something was wrong, she was crying… Matt was sitting beside her, an arm awkwardly around her shoulder, his face blank as he stared at the wall…  
**>Hey what's happening?**_ _Joanne asked but her voice was silent. She tried going up to Matt and her mother but neither of them responded to her. Joanne backed away, trying to work out what was so very wrong about this scene when she saw her keys where on the__ floor_…  
_She bent to pick them up but when she stood upright the room had changed. Gone where the police and the people she knew and loved, instead there was something else standing right in front of her…  
Joanne tried to scream as Cth'ctchi stepped towards her. He was covered in blood, and fresh skulls hung from his belt…the coppery stink making her want to vomit…  
She tried to back away but skinned corpses hung from the ceiling, blocking her path. As she recoiled in horror the Predator seized her by the neck and held her close to his blood smeared face, roaring at her as loud as he could.  
Images flashed by her mind… the deaths she'd seen in the shopping centre so many months ago, her dream that she'd dismissed as just a nightmare and the brief moment she'd woken up, to see one of those MONSTERS standing over her… Her mind shook the final inhibiting effects of the sedative off and tore through the spacecraft, glimpsing the things that it contained. Inextricably her mind was drawn to one being, sitting at the ships command…_

_Cth'ctchi turned and looked at her._

**_>So you're awake human?_**

Joanne sat bolt upright, ripping her mind back to her body. Her eyes where wide as she finally realised that, once again, she was trapped with Predators… and this time they had a score to settle.


	5. First blood

_Thanks to all the people who hace reveiwed so far! it's nice to know people are reading this let alone liking it : ) thought that no one would read cos I'm a n00b and this is my first fic!

* * *

_ Cth'ctchi felt the human's terror and confusion as she found his mind. Then as quickly as the presence had come it was gone, leaving the Predator to enjoy the echoes of her fear still sounding in his head. Cth'ctchi pressed the com button for D'ran's connection and the Predator responded in a testy voice.

"Yes Cth'ctchi?"

He laughed under his breath, D'ran so frequently forgot about his… acquired abilities. The feelings of revulsion D'ran gave out for the one he was talking to and himself for failing to stand up and challenge Cth'ctchi amused the head Yautja, safe in the knowledge he would never be contested. Normally he would have insisted D'ran talk to him using the proper terms of respect for one in his position but he was in too good a mood to torment even his least favourite underling right now.

"Bring me the female."

Cth'ctchi cut the connection and awaited his prey to be brought to him… his mind going over the details of what he was going to do to her…

"Sir?"

It was D'ran on the com system.

"Sir, what female?"

Cth'ctchi's eyes narrowed.

"What…?"

* * *

Ad'risti stood nervously before the ships commander, and told him what he had done with Joanne. Cth'ctchi paced around the young Predator, listening to what was being said. Then suddenly he unsheathed his wrist blades and sliced through Ad'risti's hamstrings on one of his legs. Crying out in surprise and pain Ad'risti fell to the floor, clutching the deep slash at the back of his knee while his leg thrashed and spasmed uncontrollably. Florescent green blood splattered on the floor and Cth'ctchi kicked the fallen warrior in the face. 

"YOU INCOMPETANT FOOL" he roared, "I HAVE WAITED ALL THIS TIME, TAKEN SO MANY RISKS AND NOW BECAUSE OF A DISGRACED IMMATURE IDIOT WHO IS NOT EVEN WORTHY OF AN ADULT'S STATUS THE CHANCE TO KILL THIS GIRL HAS BEEN GIVEN TO ANY OF THE MINDLESS BEASTS THAT NOW STALK THE HALLS OF THIS SHIP!

He kicked Ad'risti again, ripping some of his mandibles off in the process. Cth'ctchi then marched to the two guards who had brought the recruit to him.

"Take him to the Queen. Give him to her; she will decide what end he will suffer."

Ad'risti's eyes grew wide as he heard his punishment. He tried to speak but his mouthparts where too badly damaged, and Cth'ctchi had already stormed from the room. The two guards grasped his arms and started to drag him from the room, leaving a messy trail of vivid blood as they went.

* * *

D'ram watched Cth'ctchi vent his rage on various objects in the training room. That had been close, and only a lot of fast talking on his part had prevented D'ran from sharing Ad'risti's fate. For a Predator meant to have telepathic powers, Cth'ctchi obviously didn't use them very well or he would have seen D'ran was more responsible than the young recruit. Well, thinking about it it was Cth'ctchi's fault in the first place for not ordering anyone to keep the female back but no one was about to suggest that. Everyone had looked for a scapegoat and Ad'risti had been the one to take the fall. D'ran walked away from the viewing panel, like he cared what happened to a weak child who had no place on this ship or in this hunt.

* * *

Meanwhile, deep in the labyrinth that was the ship's layout, Ad'risti waited. He knew it was only a matter of time before the hard meat found him and then… He shuddered and tried to stop thinking about it. He'd failed his adulthood trail because he had fled the hunting zone after seeing his team mates being ripped apart by these monsters. Now alone and wounded those memories he'd tried to suppress came back, playing hideously before his eyes… watching the first one go down, being torn to pieces by the swarming black mass… their leader's chest exploding in a green haze as an infant clawed its way to freedom and life… he opened his eyes again, glancing up and down the corridor, anything being better than those images. 

_A skeletal figure darted silently above the fallen Predator's body, its blind head turning this way and that as it listened to the heavy breathing and smelt the spilt blood…_

Ad'risti tried to get up. If he could make it to an observation panel then one of the other recruits working there might let him back into the 'safe' parts of the ship…

_The creature was swaying from side to side, confused. It had never encountered one such as this before and while its instincts screamed at it to attack it hesitated, seeking reassurance from Her…_

Ad'risti snorted as he crawled forward, using his arms now that one of his legs wasn't working. Some 'safe' zone. He hardly called being mutilated by one of his race very safe…

_Soothing thoughts blossomed out to the black form, encouraging it and sending reinforcements at the same time. The creature's muscles bunched ready to leap on the crawling figure… _

Ad'risti managed to get to his feet, supporting his weight entirely on his working leg. Leaning on the side of the passageway he began his slow hobble to safety when he was suddenly knocked to the ground, slamming into the metal floor. He roared in pain as something began clawing at his back and legs and instantly his training and natural impulse to survive kicked in. He rolled over quickly, throwing his attacker off balance and swatted at the thing with his fist. The blow connected with a brittle exoskeleton and sent his attacker flying down the passage, limbs flailing in all directions while screeching in distress.

_The Xenomorph untangled its gangly limbs and crouched once more, tail lashing from side to side. It hissed at the thing that had harmed it and leaped again. _

And again Ad'risti fought it off, somehow finding strength to battle with the thing despite his injuries, yet as he swung at the black creature he could feel his strength failing, he was going to loose…

**_>NO!_**  
Something in him burned, enraged at the thought of loosing to a Xenomorph. On the aliens next lunge he grasped its head in one hand, forcing it to the ground. His exhausted body fell on top of the slim creature, causing snapping sounds and shrieks of pain and rage from the struggling form underneath him. Ad'risti felt its acid blood begin to burn his legs and torso, having eaten through his armour already. Ignoring the searing pain, he held the struggling alien's head in one hand and concentrated on ripping at the exposed tendons in its neck. The Xenomorph screamed louder.

Then something was wrenching Ad'risti off his prey and forcing him down. Strong black limbs held him as sharp teeth bit at his limbs, ruining them. He howled in pain and misery as he knew, without a doubt, that he had lost his battle.

* * *

Something hot and wet dripped over his face. Ad'risti woke groggily, his eyesight blurred by the liquid covering his face. As he focused on what was before him he gasped, and tried to move away but he couldn't. Looking down he saw his limbs had been reduced to tattered stumps. Reluctantly, he looked back up into the jaws of the Queen. 

_The prey was awake, the Queen informed her servants, and instantly they moved to restrain it in case it attacked their beloved matriarch. She could see that would not be necessary, however, as the thing was weak and soon would perish. She hissed at the creatures surrounding her, telling them to be more careful next time with such beings. In this state, She told them, they could not be implanted with young for they would die before the child could develop. Another hiss summoned a small, very battered individual to the Queen and it sat before her, waiting for orders. She informed the small one that She was pleased with it for attacking the intruder on its own, and reassured it that its painful injuries would heal given time. As She relayed Her wishes to the small one it chittered in excitement and hobbled u p to the near dead Predator, squatting on his chest…_

Ad'risti gazed into the eyeless face of the Xenomorph calmly. The pain from his wounds was fading and light dimming from his eyes. He allowed himself to drift away, and did not see the alien bare its inner jaws, nor feel the killing blow when it came.

* * *

_Hope u all like, haven't seen any of the aliens films so if anything in this about them is wrong please say. Wanted to practise writing for the xenomorphs before I got into the part of the story which has more of them... so hope it wasn't too offensive!_

_Once again, please read n' review if u've got time or are outraged at my portrayal of the characters : P : D  
_


	6. Tools of the trade

Joanne knew she had to get up.Since she'd remembered what had happened, and discovered who was behind all this, she'd been rooted to the spot. Truth be told, she was terrified, Cth'ctchi was a monster and one she'd spent sleepless nights telling herself was never going to hurt her again… Yet here she was. She was shivering uncontrollably now, her still wet clothes clinging to her curled up body. Her eyes were darting around, inspecting every shadow and sharply jumping to faint noises that occasionally reached her ears, trying to detect their source. She didn't dare try and 'see' her surroundings with her mind, not while she knew Cth'ctchi was anywhere near her, and the glimpses of what the ship contained when she'd finally freed herself from the drug where just as bad as the rouge Predator. She couldn't remember much of what she had seen, feelings more than images standing out in her mind, but it had been a cocktail of fear, hunger and the focused thoughts that only belonged to a hunter stalking its prey. And there was something else too… Cth'ctchi's mind had drawn hers as he was the only psychic creature she had previously 'felt' with her mind, but something much bigger, and somehow older and more primitive was also out there…She started to stab her knife at the cold metal wall she leant on, trying to scratch it in some way. She wasn't making any marks on it, yet somehow it made her feel better, the repetitive action allowing all thoughts to drain from her. She was abruptly brought back to the present by a harsh cry that came echoing up the passageway. She froze, knife in mid swing as she listened for approaching noises, had her 'wall stabbing' attracted unwanted attention? She mentally berated herself as to being so stupid as to make noise in a place full of unknown things that wanted to eat her, and prayed to whatever deity that was currently watching over her that nothing was coming… What if it was Cth'ctchi? Hatred and fear battled in her mind at the thought of him, and the noise sounded once more, her eyes going wide as it reverberated all around her, yet somehow it didn't sound like a Predator… Not that she was an expert on what noises they made, she just remembered their roars and clicking vividly from her mall encounter and this sounded higher, and if it was possible more choral, as if many creatures where making the sound not one. The thought that whatever it was close by, it wasn't a Predator bizarrely calmed her, enough to seriously think about what she was going to do for the first time since she'd snapped back from her mind's 'excursion'. She knew she couldn't stay here, yet the thought of leaving what had so far been a sanctuary was daunting. Leaving here meant that she would eventually have to do something proactive about her situation, just like in the mall 6 months ago.  
Joanne almost laughed bitterly, how stupid she'd been then! How brave and full of confidence! 7 foot monsters that hack people to pieces for fun? Of course she could take them! She shook her head softly, no, she knew better now, knew that if you go looking for trouble in a place like this then you'll get it. What was the old saying? 'If you play with matches, you'll get burned.' She thumped her head against the wall beside her, what could she possibly do against the foes she'd face in here?  
Closing her eyes she tried to think of what options, if any, she had. She could get up and move about, looking for a way out of this mess or she could sit here, and wait for the first thing to come along and kill her. Somehow the thought of simply waiting for death wasn't an option. While there wasn't much hope she'd get out of this alive she couldn't not try. She couldn't just forfeit her life. She thought of how Cth'ctchi would love her to die that way, cowering before him, completely at his mercy, and she knew that she couldn't, wouldn't give that son of a bitch the satisfaction.  
Her mind made up, she got to her feet once more. She had no idea how long she'd sat there, but now she had to move on, just do anything except cringe there and wait. As she walked away from the dead end she tried to resurrect the positive attitude she'd had when she was in the shopping centre facing these things for the first time. Back then she'd gone on fearlessly, full of hope and optimism that she could win, but now, a little older and a lot wiser, she couldn't feel that again. Not with what she had seen and now knew. She closed her eyes, determined to wipe thoughts of bloody deaths and exulting Predators from her mind and when she opened them, she started to actively walk down the corridor rather than drift, alert and ready to try and survive.

* * *

It was about half an hour later, still wandering around, that Joanne stumbled across a massacre. She'd turned a corner and there it was. She'd stopped, staring, not truly believing what was in front of her. There where eight people in with varying degrees of damage to their bodies, some disembowelled while others had limbs missing. Some she realised had been completely torn apart, so the total death count for the room was probably more than eight. She tried to think, what should she be doing, what now? The smell was making her gag, and while she tried to think all her mind could picture was the grisly internals that were lying in wet heaps on the floor. She perversely wondered why there wasn't blood everywhere then remembered the floor was a metal grid… She gritted her teeth angrily, was that coincidence or an essential feature of all Predator craft? Maybe it was one of Cth'ctchi's innovations, so there was less to clean up after hunts… She shook herself and focused on the situation, her resentment at such a design feature clearing her head.  
Move on. That's what she should be doing now… The creature that did this still might be around and even if it wasn't, the scent of fresh blood would attract others who would probably have no problem with taking her down as well.  
She started to back away slowly, more out of a wish to not disturb the scene than anything else, when her foot caught on something. Looking down she saw a long spear, for the moment just a staff with a pointed tip yet Joanne knew spikes could jut out of the thing given the right command. This was a Predator weapon and she'd seen one used before. She bent and picked it up, the dead corpses forgotten for the moment, and examined it. A simple tap in the right place made blades snap out of the shaft in a sudden loud movement and once again, the noise jerked her out of her curious inspection. If this was lying around, then were there any other weapons or supplies here too?  
Joanne looked at the bodies, who stared blankly back. She really didn't want to go any closer to them, and this spear was already a great improvement over her little knife so she was about to turn and leave the awful place when she spotted a familiar barrel sticking out from under one of the people's legs. Joanne gritted her teeth and tried not to think about what she was going to do, before dashing to the fallen human, snatching at the barrel and running off down the opposite passage, throwing looks over her shoulder at the still unbelievable slaughter. Only when she'd rounded a corner did she stop and examine what she had recovered.  
Like she had suspected, it was a gun of some kind, but clearly not meant for human use, the trigger guard being much larger than any human hand could fit. She frowned. Why where Predators giving humans their technology? From everything she knew about them they where fiercely possessive about their belongings, so giving them away simply didn't make sense. She paused in her train of thought, but what if they knew they were going to get them back?  
She snorted, yes that was probably it. Humans where too boring to hunt on their own, so they'd been given some decent weapons to spice up the hunt for the Predators. She looked back in the direction of the bloodbath, some use the weapons had been to them. Examining the gun again she realised there was no power source in it. She groaned, she'd have to go back and find it, or the gun was useless, and she turned and reluctantly approached the scene once again.  
As Joanne approached the remains she was getting more and more scared, the mutilated bodies reminding her that this could easily be her fate. She tried to shut the rising panic out but her mind wasn't helping, her fear allowing her power to wander out of control. She could hear the screams of the doomed victims as they'd battled vainly against the things attacking them, yet she could not see what was causing their deaths. She reached the body she'd found the gun under and started looking around, trying to avoid the faces. There was nothing. She was getting frantic now for some reason, the pressure of being constantly under the silent scrutiny of the dead distracting her from her search. She shut her eyes and clutched her head, standing in the middle of the room. Pushing the visions of what had happened here out of her mind she focussed on what she was looking for. Slowly, she expanded the thought until she found it, the power pack, near the door she'd come in. She let the thought dissolve slowly rather than abandoning it to shatter, this keeping out the nightmarish scenes in her head for awhile, or at least until she got the pack and moved on. She knelt down a picked up the strange device, before slotting into the weapon's handle. A red light briefly lit up on its side, before going out again, yet the gun still hummed faintly with power so Joanne guessed it was working. 

Something behind her scuttled amongst the debris on the floor.

Joanne turned and fired at the direction of the sound, and the blue projectile cut through one of the bodies on the ground. Her breaths where coming faster now, but as she turned, pointing her weapon in every direction, she couldn't see what it was…

Then a large rodent appeared on top of one of the corpses. It was sitting up, on two over developed back legs, and sniffing in her direction, whiskers twitching. Joanne looked at it puzzled, did Predators get rats on their ships? Another one was on her right, again sniffing at her intently. She began to back away, feeling uneasy. They looked just like large rats, and another had just arrived when suddenly the strange cry she'd heard earlier echoed through the room. She looked down into the passage beyond the chamber and when she looked back, the rodent things had gone.

**_>Defiantly not good. When a rat deserts a ship you know it's going down… _**Joanne thought to herself starting to back towards the opposite exit. As she stepped over the bodies once more, mind taken off how disturbing they where by the strange call that was sounding from ahead, she could feel something coming towards her, like a wave, billowing out towards her. She stared as a murky, flowing shape detached itself from the darkness up ahead and made straight for her, and with out even thinking about it she turned and ran.

The things were gaining on her, she could feel it, and she pelted down the corridor as fast as she could go. She couldn't keep this up much longer, her cold and scared condition was sapping her strength before it should have failed, yet she could feel something up ahead, something familiar…  
She hurriedly checked that it wasn't a Predator, or worse Cth'ctchi, and was relived to find the recognizable signals came from humans! She didn't know if they could help her but the thought of not having to die alone in this place spurred her on towards them, as the creatures chasing her got nearer still.  
Just before she rounded a corner her mind screamed at her to duck, and she dived forward, not even questioning her intuition, going into a sloppy roll that brought her into another chamber. A door slammed down behind her, nearly catching her foot, and surprised shouts where coming from the people she had found, while faint thuds came from the other side of the door as Joanne's pursuers failed to stop in time.

"Fucking things" Someone said loudly. "How many more bunches of them are we gonna come across?" Joanne looked up to see a tall man gesturing wildly at the door.

"Never mind that, they can't get through the door, what I wanna know is who she is?" A woman who looked in her twenties said, pointing at Joanne who was still on the floor.

"Mann you where lucky, we didn't even know you where there! A couple seconds later and the door would've crushed you!" A guy said, approaching and offering her his hand. Another girl snatched at the guy,

"Dave don't! You don't know what she is! She came from out there and we know nothing about her and…"

"She looks more or less human to me" the guy said gently as he continued his approach.

Joanne smiled at him and accepted the hand, and upon getting to her feet she looked around at the people she now found herself with. The group was of mixed gender with about 14 people in it, most young like her but a few in their thirties by the look of it. Joanne grinned awkwardly at them as she felt mistrust course round the group, despite the fact she was human, like them, and that they'd just saved her.

"Erm, thanks." She began. "My name's Joanne…"

* * *

In the command room, by himself, Cth'ctchi brooded over the bad start the hunt had got off to. None of the others thought so of course, but the possible loss of the female was intensely frustrating. He couldn't just leave the controls to go look for her in the hunt zone, yet he hated the thought that every second he waited it became more likely she'd been killed by some animal. He couldn't even search for her using his mind, the bloody hard meat Queen was drowning every thought he sent out. He flexed his mandibles impatiently, eyes silted as he tried to think of a way to regain control over her so he could have his fun… Yet there were other matters to attend to besides his personal vendetta. He pulled up the view of the waiting Yautja and next to it that of the Alien Queen, her small number of offspring scuttling around, taking eggs when laid and crawling everywhere. One suddenly appeared directly in front of the lens and Cth'ctchi angrily zapped it off with another set of tasers, these ones much more higher powered. A small light started blinking and Cth'ctchi promptly pressed a single button in response. Suddenly exits to the chambers both creatures where in opened, letting the inhabitants out into the ship. Cth'ctchi checked that everything had been released properly before turning his back on the control panels to put the final touches on his armour, strapping a set of vials filled with clear fluid to one of his arms. Before he left he glanced at the screen showing the Queen, now sending her children out to explore. The Queen embryo he'd stolen from the labs, who bred them for the adulthood trials, was a standard issue one, with altered genetics so that the chest bursters would emerge well formed and grow quickly so there would be plenty of adult aliens to fight. What made this hunt different, more dangerous than all others before it was the Queen had no restraints upon her. No machines controlled how many face huggers she produced or stopped her fighting herself. In this hunt, anything could happen, and certainly only the strongest would survive. Cth'ctchi finally attached his helmet, covering his features. Then he strode from the room, the door locking behind him, to find death, glory, and **_her_**… 


	7. Two's company, more's a crowd

**_>Ok. This is not going to be easy._** Thought Joanne, as she sat with the people she'd ran across. While everyone else was experiencing an uncomfortable silence, Joanne was busy touching each of their minds, seeking for those who where comfortable with her presence. She sighed, there weren't many. Not that she could really blame them, She'd found that none of them had any encounters with alien races before, to the extent that some were still in denial about where they were and things they had encountered since waking up. The shock of being kidnapped and placed in an unfamiliar, hostile environment had made them suspicious of everything, but if Joanne wanted to stay with them she was going to have to convince them she was no threat, if not useful.  
She shook her head, why did she want to stay with these suspicious people again? Oh yeah, because they were the only living humans she'd come across plus she was scared and tired, having been on her own and therefore having to stay constantly alert all the time. Besides, as harsh as it may be, there was safety in numbers. The more people around you the smaller the probability that you would be the one picked to die.  
Joanne rubbed her eyes and looked around again. They were in a medium sized chamber, a bit too small for them all to comfortably be in, so some where standing while others sat. Four where lying down, and all of them had injuries. Not daring to ask what had happened to them, Joanne had quickly searched their heads for memories, and saw the various attacks they'd experienced or seen. As she looked at their memories however she saw that none of the antagonists where Predators, many were even recognisable animals from Earth. There where some that she'd never seen before though, probably more alien species from distant worlds brought here, like them, simply for Predators amusement. Her hatred for the warrior race flared once more, what gave them the right to take creatures from their homes and slaughter them? Just because they where stronger and had more advanced technology than everything else?  
Angrily she withdrew her mind before her negative thoughts announced her presence to those she was looking into. Somehow revealing that she was psychic to this already on edge group didn't seem a good idea, yet her normal reservations about invading other people's thoughts had gone now that her survival depended on knowing what was going on in her immediate vicinity.

"What's that you've got there?" a guy asked, keeping his distance but eyeing her small collection of weapons intently. He was in shadow, but she could see he was holding a larger version of the gun she had, and Joanne could feel a greedy, oppressive attitude drifting from him.

"These are my weapons." Joanne said plainly. "I started with the knife, and found the other two." Another large guy approached her,

"If you want to come with us them I'll have the gun. Only a certain few here have the fire arms." The one called Jake who'd originally questioned her came up and held out his hand. Now he was in the light Joanne could see he had three guns, including the big one he held. She could feel fear from the rest of the group, and looking around she could see some people had no weapons at all…

**_>Looks like I've found some bullies…_** Joanne thought. Situations like this often brought both the best and worse out in people, and for these two it was clearly the worse. She frowned, while 'Jake's' mind fit the stereotype bully profile the other guy seemed calmer, and not so much of a coward. Then she 'found' the reason he was taking charge, he'd had some leadership training, and experience with guns, making him the logical choice to have a projectile weapon and to lead this group of scared, hurt people. She noted he only had one gun, and forgave him slightly for trying to intimidate her. He was trying to do what he thought was right, what would keep the small band of people safe. Jake on the other hand was just a power freak. The most experience he'd had with what he was carrying was a couple of rounds of paintballing, which incidentally he'd lost.

"C'mon just hand the gun over. You can keep the knife and the stupid stick" Jake said, bending down and reaching for what he wanted. Joanne pressed the indent on the spear's handle and it extended, putting out its spikes, right past Jakes face. He jerked back, going white before looking angrily at her. He went to grab the spear when the 'leader' spoke,

"Don't you think you have enough Jake?"

"I'm not letting that go Will! She could've had half my face off with that thing!"

As Jake started towards Joanne again Will held one of his shoulders back.

"Yeah you will. Now back off."

Joanne smiled. Maybe she'd misjudged Will…

"Now, miss, like I was saying, the gun?" Will extended his hand. Joanne raised her eyebrows slightly, looking straight at him, and shifted slightly so her spear pointed more in his direction. Will looked down at its point the up to meet her gaze again.

"Look. Only people who know how to use them get them. Can't have a God damm rookie missing beasties and hitting people when something's attacking us. For everyone's safety, it's better if I have it."

"I can use it." Joanne simply said. Now it was Will's turn to raise an eyebrow, and she quickly decided a lie would be more plausible and reassuring than the true explanation of how she knew how to use the weapon.

"How do you think I survived so long on my own? I've shot everything that's tried to get me, or I'd be dead by now."

"Bullshit" Jake snorted. "If you're that good then why did u come running into us?"

"Shut up Jake." Will said, still holding Joanne's gaze. "You know you can't hit those things that were on her tail anyway." Joanne looked at him, "Well you can't. The blue crap that comes outta these things just goes straight thought them. Only thing that keeps them from getting us is Michelle's key over there." He pointed at a woman older than the others in the group who was removing a card from a slot in the wall. She didn't say anything, just put the card into her pocket and went and sat down by one of the injured. It was only then that Joanne noticed it was a teenage boy lying on the floor, the youngest of the group. His shirt was in tatters, red with blood and his torso had many slashes across it.

"That card she has is a door control of some kind," Will explained, "put it in once, the door opens. Put it in again and it closes. Took us a while to work out what it was but hey, it's one of the most useful things we have at the moment…" Will started to talk about what they'd encountered so far and how they'd dealt with it, but Joanne wasn't really listening. She was watching the woman, Michelle, sitting by the boy. A quick thought got her inside Michelle's head, revealing that the guy was her son. Joanne retrieved her thoughts when she felt the shock, despair and disbelief that was rampant in the woman's mind. She fought back tears herself, being in emotional peoples heads always affected her too, and looked at Will, who was looking straight back at her. She decided to see if they knew anything she didn't the traditional way.

"Know what the hell is going on?"

Will exhaled slowly. "I have no fucking clue. You?"

Again, somehow lying seemed the better option, "No. Just woke up here."

Will shook his head. "I started in a group of six. Two of those people are dead, and another is hurt. Keep finding people, loosing them, being attacked. It's like a fucking video game or some thing."

Joanne looked away, staring at the floor. "Can I tag along?"

"Yeah what the hell. Weren't really gonna turn you away to fend for yourself. Its just the gun. You've gotta see why I can't let you have it, just on your word that you can shoot."

"Why not? You gave that idiot three." Jake scowled at her.

"Yeah but he's managed to kill some things with them, believe it or not."

"Well what do you want me to shoot?"

"What?"

"What do you want me to shoot? Name a target, I'll hit it, I get to keep the gun and you get someone else who can help defend this bunch."

"You mean that?"

"Yeah."

"Ok, keep it. But if you miss, or freeze up when we need you, then it'll be your ass."

Joanne smiled at him as he walked away, Jake shooting a final look at her before following Will. Joanne grinned and then once more sent her mind out to find people who might actually talk to her. The least hostile seemed to be two people sitting a little apart from everyone else, a couple. Joanne smiled, and went over to intrude on their private little world.

* * *

D'ran snorted loudly as he started hacking at the corpse of a newly killed lion, severing its head and carving chunks of hair and flesh off its skull. He didn't have time to make a proper trophy out of it, and it joined several bloody skulls with globs of tissue still attached hanging on his belt. The beast had fought well, but had been no challenge to him. Grunting impatiently as he stalked away from the beheaded body he wondered if Cth'ctchi had released the hard meat yet. That would be a real test of his strength and skill, yet he could hear none of their scrabbling claws or high pitched voices near by and he'd been searching for quite some time now. He wondered if he could find the Queen's chambers, as the ship's layout in the hunting zone had been changed so that even the Predators didn't know their surroundings. Would he be up to taking down a Queen? D'ran was proud, and so far undefeated in combat so naturally he assumed he was capable of it. Then he rejected the thought. Without the Queen the supply of warrior hard meat to fight would dry up. Better to leave her how she was for the present, yet eventually the hunt would draw to a close and then maybe he'd get his chance…  
He strode down the endless corridors, his sensors picking up nothing new to fight with while he waited to cross paths with a xenomorph. He started to walk faster, they had to be somewhere! He had almost passed a corridor going off to the right when he heard a familiar laugh drifting from it. Cth'ctchi. D'ran snarled, was that cheating scum laughing at his inability to track down worthy prey? He went down the tunnel, towards the noise, and eventually came across his captain. D'ran was ready to drive his wrist blades through Cth'ctchi's face but without even looking around Cth'ctchi waved at him to stay still. 

**_>I'm not laughing at you D'ran, although I'm sure you'll present me with an opportunity to do so later. I'm watching this unexpectedly entertaining fight._**

D'ran put a clawed hand to his head as Cth'ctchi spoke directly into his mind, clearly to avoid disturbing what ever he was watching. It always hurt, but thankfully at the moment he felt only mild irritation with the communication. Cth'ctchi motioned D'ran to come beside him and see what he was watching.

**_>Amazing really. Who'd have thought face huggers could be defied by anything?_**

Despite himself, D'ran was intrigued at the scene before him. A massive reptile was hissing angrily at several of the parasites, which where nimbly dancing just out of range of its huge jaws.

"Where…" Cth'ctchi silenced D'ran with a single painful thought, and D'ran projected his words in his head to communicate even though he always felt ridiculous doing so.

**_>Where did that thing come from?_**

_**>The human's planet surprisingly enough. One of the recruits found it in the southern hemisphere of the globe, on a large island I believe. Apparently there are lots of them there, and this was the biggest he could find.**_

D'ran looked at the saltwater crocodile as it snapped at a leaping face hugger. The creature was crushed instantly and the reptile began shaking its head while making strange roaring sounds as the acid blood of the alien burned into its mouth. Its jaws and tongue where pitted and bleeding from the corrosive fluids of the many face huggers it had fought and killed, their remains scattered all around. D'ran looked at the reptile's mad eyes, burning yellow as it started hissing again.

_**>The face huggers cannot work out a way around its elongated mouth structure, especially with all those teeth around every edge, but that hasn't stopped them from trying. I honestly thought they could infect any beast but this one appears to have them stumped. **_

There was an almost admiring tone in Cth'ctchi's thoughts now as he watched the struggle yet D'ran knew he would not do the honourable thing and either drive the face huggers away or put the creature out of its misery. It had fought well and deserved a quick end yet their leader would never relent, its torment being far more amusing to him.

**_>Come D'ran. Let us leave them to it. _**Cth'ctchi told him as the Predator walked away. Gritting his teeth while trying not to think of Cth'ctchi's many shortcomings, D'ran followed.

_**>Are you looking for hard meat like every other Yautja on the ship? And after I went to all the trouble of getting such a range of exotic and dangerous creatures here all anyone is concerned about is them?**_

_**>The other beasts are entertaining my Elder, as you can see I have battled several of them. Yet the true test of a Yautja's skill has been and always will be with the xenomorphs. We all seek proof that we are honourable so that we can return to our society, so we all seek the hard meat, and the prestige their trophies bring.**_

Cth'ctchi nodded, for once agreeing with D'ran. He was not so lost in his own amusements or revenge plans that he'd forgotten the main purpose of this hunt. They both strode off down the corridor, away from the crocodile and aliens still fighting behind them.


	8. Hope

_Well its been a while but here at last is a new chapter : ) sorry its taken so long, have had all sorts of deadlines to meet with uni work, cartoons and plain old revision. Right now I'm entering 6 weeks of exams (AGGGHHH) so updates unfortunatly might be abit sporadic. After that though I've got 3 weeks with nothing to do so then we'll get back to updating more regularly. If you're reading this now then thanks for sticking with the story even though its not been updated for over a month...  
_

_Dazzler 420: glad you like, all you're questions will be aswered as the story progresses, and I wouldn't want to spoil anything by dropping hints now! I know thats frustrating when you want to know whats going on but hopefully it'll be better finding out through the story than me just telling you now : ) _

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_Deep in the ship's interior, the Queen stirred restlessly. While no chains bound her limbs, she was too large to leave this chamber and relying on her offspring's thoughts to gauge her surroundings was beginning to fret on her nerves. She could feel her young sleeping in eggs close by, tended to by only two fully grown drones, who also attended her. She ground her teeth and shook her crested head in frustration, causing the two workers to turn towards her. Sensing their confusion at such actions she stopped, head sagging. Instinct told her this was not how things where meant to be. There should be more drones to care for the eggs, Praetorians to guard them, keep them safe and yet more workers capturing hosts so her children could be born. _

_This was no hive, she told herself, this was a rabble. _

_Silently she strengthened the mental signals going to those exploring, telling them to seek creatures with all haste. Only a few had been brought back for impregnation, and all now contained a growing embryo, soon to emerge. Still too few she thought to herself, watching an egg's top flaps opening. Not enough to guarantee this face hugger a target, and the embryo inside it life. She watched it uncoil while mentally informing it there where no hosts nearby. The hugger emerged and skittered towards the Queen, tail twitching as it awaited instructions. Though it upset her to do so, she told it to hunt for a victim rather than stay here and await one. It crawled away into the dark and she felt it leave, blind head turned to its direction. Sadness pulsed through her as she knew she had likely sent it to its death. They were surrounded by vicious beings, and only four face huggers had been successful in laying their egg inside something. Many more had died in the attempt._

_She felt the now familiar sensation of pain and fear as another one of her own was killed. The first loss had been awful, and it had taken all the praetorians to console, calm and reassure her that some of her children still lived and that they would all serve her in making this place their safe haven. Thankfully all the casualties had been huggers, not the fully formed adults. She couldn't imagine any of her full fledged children dying, they where so alive, so eager to serve her and the hive, yet she knew it was a possibility. Three more huggers hatched, and she almost failed to make mental links with them, to spare herself the pain when they died, yet sensing their panic she relented, she could not deny them her love and guidance. Sending them away into the unknown, she lower her head once more in shame. What kind of Queen was she when all she could do for her young was send them to their deaths?_

_Then she felt the excited thoughts of a drone out foraging. It had found a group of creatures, some already injured, which could be captured. Hope stirred in the Queens heart, and she directed half her fully formed work force to the source of the report, and all the huggers currently out in the tunnels. _

_The two drones faced her way, and one chirped questioningly. The Queen reassured them with happy thoughts of many captives providing plentiful hosts, then hive mates, and the two chattered excitedly together. She pushed her mind towards those approaching the prey, strengthening their resolve and encouraging them, glad that the images she was sending to her children might now actually come to pass._

_Through the dark corridors and rooms xenomorphs ran, hastening to do their Queens bidding._

_The Queen flexed her mental field, and expanded it to include the area her offspring had now surrounded. She could feel the dull points indicating life forms of some sort, and one bright one. She knew only one creature with such a mind, with mental powers similar to hers, and she quickly threw all her mental abilities at it, dampening its power. Roaring in anger she pushed in on it, and was surprised to feel it give into her assault. Normally the creature was most resilient to her attacks, yet now she was having no problem affecting it. Snarling she pressed harder, remembering the times it had come to taunt her when she was not fully grown. Cutting her with its blades, pounding her then fragile exoskeleton, laughing at her pain. She screamed, instructing her children to be careful with that one, sending them mental images of her childhood tormentor. Yet her spawn's reactions where confused, they could not sense the one their Queen was depicting. None had the same stature, features or scent. Pausing only slightly, she instructed the waiting hunters to be careful, even if the one she knew was not there. As they inched closer, into striking range, she focused on that mind, now she realised it was different, yet similar at the same time. Throwing extra layers of numbness around the individual to be safe, she waited for the attack to begin, and for the means to save her colony come into her grasp._

_

* * *

_

They where nice enough people, Joanne thought as she watched the couple she'd been talking to. The guy had his arms around his partner, a protective position, and she was resting against his chest, a blood smear running down one of her arms. From their conversation Joanne had gathered they'd been together a while, and a short probing thought told her they had been happy. She thought of Matt, and how she might never see him again, and questioned her logic at choosing a couple to befriend where it would remind her of the one she loved and his absence even more.

"You've really been out there by yourself all this time?" The guy asked, looking at the closed door. Joanne nodded. Mark was his name, and his mind told her that he'd started alone too but found this group before something had found him, and luckily his girlfriend, Kelly, had been a part of it. Kelly had a long cut on her arm but otherwise was fine. Some one had wrapped some material around it to stop the bleeding, and looking at Mark's torn shirt it probably was him.

"What sorta things are there?" Kelly asked, looking at her through large frightened eyes.

"I don't really know." Joanne answered, starting to feel bad about all the lying she was doing, "I've only really come across that black thing that chased me into you guys. What is it?"

"We don't know any more than you do." Mark said, half smiling sadly. "We don't know anything."

"Except people keep dieing and there are monsters all around us." Kelly said, almost to herself as she pressed her head into Mark's shoulder. In response he hugged her tightly to him, putting his face into her hair and running one hand through it. Joanne could feel so much fear coming from them both, fear for themselves, for each other and for what the future had in store for them. They weren't the only ones. Being trapped in this room with danger all around but nothing to do except think was allowing people to go into 'what ifs….'

And this was not a good thing.

If, no when they where attacked they needed to be focused and calm, not panicking over their probable deaths or thinking about the blood shed they'd seen. Once again Joanne felt an urge to move on, yet this time she was part of a group and she had to follow their leader as long as she wanted to stay with them.And she did want to stay with them as going solo had been lonely and exhausting. Here she had even managed to grab a couple hours of sleep, awaking with none of her belongings touched, not even the blaster Jake had coveted.

She tried to send positive feelings to the others in the group without them noticing something was in their heads. It was hard anyway and her tired condition made focusing to do it even tougher. As she concentrated her mind caught something from outside the room. She lightly brushed the area again, so not to be noticed, and she could feel something, several somethings, darting around, looking for entry points. While she might not be adept at wielding her 'gift' Joanne knew that what ever was out there was not human. She told herself that they where safe here, that there was no way in for the things to reach them, then she felt the presence of some on the inside….

She was about to speak up about her discovery when something hit her. It felt like a physical blow yet it wasn't one, and it looked like the air had turned to treacle, with all sound muted out. Something strong pushed at her mind, seeking a way in, and she gasped as it connected with her. Joanne's eyes widened as she felt a primal presence unlike any she'd encountered before, and started to tremble as she felt its rage.

Mark and Kelly where looking at her now, alarmed, their mouths moving but no sound coming out. Waves of, of nothingness poured over Joanne like a shower and she slumped over, eyes still wide as she tried to push the force out of her head. Mark was bent over her, holding her by the shoulders while Kelly stood at his side, watching. Joanne tried to talk, tried to move but couldn't, and she looked into the eyes of the couple she'd s recently befriended, unable to even warn them of the coming danger.

* * *

_A praetorian lurked in the shadows of the chamber, eyeing up the various targets. It could feel the Queens presence all around the chamber, heartening and tender as she 'felt' the hunt through them all. It could tell all its siblings where ready and in position, waiting for just the right moment to begin. Tail twitching slightly but silently it waited._

_Then one of the creatures fell to its side, and others got up to examine it. One crouched down over the fallen figure, exposing its back to the waiting xenomorph. _

_Perfect._


	9. Hunters and prey

_Agh! four cartoon deadlines for two days from now... Must draw stuff! No wait, must update story first..._

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* * *

_

If she had been on her own, she'd have been dead.

Though Joanne threw all her strength at thing holding her mind, she could not beat it, not even when the lives of those around her where at stake. On her own she would have been helpless against the onslaught, would have been unable to defend herself, yet now her morbid theory of how there was safety in numbers was proving all too true. Though the pain and terror that exploded from the people surrounding her was near unbearable, it was also the thing that snapped the power's control…

Looking up from the ground Joanne watched as Mark's stomach ruptured with blood. Panic, shock and pain blasted from his mind, Kelly backing away projecting similar emotions. Their proximity to Joanne, and the intensity of their thoughts and feelings was enough for Joanne to latch onto and pull herself back into the present. She could hear again, and see in real time. She was free. Then the screams hit her, and she almost wished she had remained in that numb state until everything was over.

_As the attack began the creature wrested its mind from the Queen's grasp. Hissing quietly she focused on her children, now injuring and capturing the prey._

Waves of other people's thoughts bombarded Joanne as she jumped to her feet, backing against the nearest wall. Black spindly creatures were swarming around the terrified group of people, cutting them down quickly and dragging them away. She heard shouting and looked over; Will was standing between some of the monsters and the injured members of their party, firing at their attackers. As good a shot as he was, the things where just too quick and with every darting movement they got closer. He shouted something at those behind him as one of them landed in front of him, easily batting the gun out of his hands. He started to put his hands up, probably out of reflex than thinking it would do any good, and the thing leapt onto his chest, pinning him down. Watching despite herself Joanne was surprised; the creature seemed in no hurry to kill its prey. She could feel Will's fear and the beast's delight at its catch, then watched horrified as others came forward any began chewing at Will's legs, quickly making it impossible for him to walk. He screamed as he felt their jaws, and his thoughts filled Joanne's head. Unable to look away somehow, she watched as a pale creature dropped from above onto Will's face. She gasped as she felt what Will was experiencing; choking pressure, gagging as something slimly yet strong pushed its way down his throat, and finally she looked away from the spectacle.

Yet everywhere her eyes rested similar scenes greeted her eyes. All the large black creatures where now holding victims down as pale ones alighted onto faces. The original group had now been split into two, one on either side of the chamber. Joanne recognised Michelle, half supporting half dragging her son towards the door on her side. The crab like things where leaping at the still standing humans now, not waiting for the black ones to help them. Most found their mark with disturbing accuracy. Joanne clutched her head against the mental bombardment but she couldn't shut anything out. The terrified and injured people where bad enough to cope with but the powerful presence that had seized her at the beginning was also here, exulting in the carnage. Looking around she saw that there was only one person left on her side and she grabbed them, pulling them sharply backwards causing a pouncing crab beast to smack into the wall with a crunch. Joanne spun them around to face her, it was Kelly!

Shaking, almost petrified and covered in blood she may have been, but it was still the girl she'd befriended not 20 minutes ago underneath it all.

"Kelly? Kelly! KELLY!" Joanne shouted, finally getting her attention. She was shaking violently now, shock taking its toll on her,

"MM, M, Mark…."

Joanne felt the disbelief and grief that was threatening to overwhelm her and knew she had to act quickly. If Kelly went completely into shock then she wouldn't even be able to move let alone run from this slaughter pit. Joanne looked around for an exit, but there weren't any! The large door behind them was closed, and the only way to any other doors was through the seething mass of monsters and their prey. She had to get this thing open!

She remembered Michelle, and the card key she carried. Somehow she did a rough search for the woman and found her, still alive and guarding her son at the opposite end of the room. Joanne shoved the idea of the card key roughly into her mind, there was no time for subtly, and Michelle immediately responded, swiping the card over a glowing panel. The doors opened, and Joanne grabbed Kelly, pulling her towards the exit before the black things noticed them. She felt Michelle and a handful of others run in the other direction, still carrying Michelle's son with them. Joanne wished them luck quickly before concentrating on her own situation. At Joanne's insistence, Kelly started to run down the corridor beyond the door, not even thinking about what might lay ahead.

Suddenly one of the black creatures dropped straight down in front of them, hissing angrily. Joanne started to back away from it, with Kelly behind her. It followed them step for step, pushing them back into the chamber. Joanne tried to use her mind to influence it but she was too tired, and to her surprise it had a connection to that presence she'd experienced, a strong one.  
It gave a muted shrieking noise, and bared its drool covered fangs. Joanne watched as suddenly they parted and a smaller, but still lethal set sprang from its mouth, snapping at them. They where getting dangerously close to the chamber now, in fact they where almost back in it…

Suddenly the creature screamed. In one sudden movement its chest had exploded, and it spasmed in agony, splattering its surroundings with blood. Joanne and Kelly where out of range, a good thing as where ever the blood fell the metal floor smoked and hissed. This was not what caught Joanne's attention however. As the creature finished dying messily an angry roar came from behind it as blood fountained from the body.

It was Joanne's turn to freeze, she knew that roar…  
Air that seemed somehow disturbed, a quiet crackling sound, and then ripples of colour pulsing over a figure standing straight head…  
There it was, a Predator, decloaking right in front of them.

Now the girls could see a half dissolved spear emerging from the black things back, and Joanne couldn't help but stare as the Predator, still roaring, ripped off its face mask. Throwing it away, it then did the same for various other pieces of burning armour that covered its huge body.  
Turning back towards them, it roared loudly once more, mandibles flaring full stretch. Joanne didn't need to be a mind reader to know it was extremely pissed off, and now it had its sights on them.

* * *

Rea'gul was furious with himself. 

After many fruitless hours searching he had finally found a group of xenomorphs, and he had been so careless in his first kill that large portions of his armour had been destroyed. He'd even lost his hunting mask! Roaring in disbelief he cast away the now useless bits of metal. How could he make such a stupid mistake? Only the most inexperienced young bloods stood too close to their hard meat kills and yet in the heat of the moment, relived finally he had found one, and thinking how the trophy it would provide would help him gain back his honour, he had neglected to remember one of the cardinal rules of hunting these creatures.

He roared at the two humans that stood before him, transfixed. Clenching his fist, his wrist blades slid into place as he approached them, and seeing the number of xenomorphs in the next chamber decided to finish these two quickly before tackling the more worthy prey. In the dark tunnel he could not see if they where female or not, let alone if they where armed. He stopped to try and see. If he was ever to regain his status in the clans then the laws of the hunt must be observed. A shriek came from behind them, and one of the humans whirled around and started whimpering, pulling at their companion.

Rea'gul could see why, a large praetorian was approaching from the chamber, flanked by two drones. Must have been attracted by the death of its hive mate Rea'gul thought. The two humans had moved back against the wall, as if clearing the way for the two species to fight, and finally the frozen human started moving, running in Rea'gul's direction, past him then down the corridor with the second one close behind.

The hard meat screamed again, the drones hissing angrily behind their leader and snarling Rea'gul settled into a fighting stance. He'd get those cowardly oomans later, but first…

The praetorian leaped toward the waiting Predator, challenging roars and shrieks charging the air.


	10. AvP

_Hello everyone! Only one week left of exams for me, then I'm finally free! Yay: D  
_

_WhiteDragonHawke: the one occasion Joanne did take out a predator was mostly due to luck than anything else. The story of her first encounter with predators, and her meeting Cth'ctchi is one I'd like to tell once this one is done... will have to see : )_

_HarrySlytherinson: sorry I didn't update soon! Here is a new chapter... hope you like : )_

_Dazzler420, OtakusVengence, The Lady of Chaos, Melissa, Solain Rhyon and Silvermoonlight GJ: thank you for your reviews! If you're still reading drop us a line to say hey if you have the time..._

_Any mistakes/corrections/etc welcome, and any thoughts on the story or where its going/could go are always good to hear! Now onto the chapter and back to revision..._

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Kelly ran, sobbing quietly but still following Joanne. Her mind was numb, the things she had just seen going against everything she knew, monsters that where real, so much death, Mark… Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision briefly before they fell. She couldn't believe it, any of it…

Joanne also ran.Anything to put as much distance between herself and those things. The predator hadn't been Cth'ctchi but it still terrified her, it was huge! More like the elders in size than the ones she had encountered in the mall. And there were those black things…  
Joanne could feel the strong psychic presence exulting all around her. She had never encountered anything so strong, even Cth'ctchi's hatred paling compared to that primal mind. She could also feel Kelly behind her, mind growing fainter as she slipped into shock. Joanne really didn't blame her for following her body's natural reaction to the recent events but there wasn't time…

"Kelly? KELLY? C'mon sweetie, run now, shock later ok?"

No response, but the girl was still moving with her.

"KELLY!" Joanne shouted again, she had to snap her out of it! If they stopped running with her in this condition then Joanne knew she wouldn't start again.Kelly's mind slipped a little more and, desperate to prevent losing the one human left wth her Joanne forced her mind into Kelly's to stop her drifting further.

_**>Kelly? KELLY! I know you can hear me.**_

No reply.

_**>they took him…. But he can't be gone, but I saw and, I was there aa..and his blood, HIS BLOOD IS ON ME… ON MY HANDS, WHY, WHY IS HE NOT HERE ANYMORE?**_

Joanne was taken back by the state of Kelly's mind, and glancing around with her mind and eyes found a side tunnel not too far ahead which they could stop in.

**_>Is stopping really worth the risk of being caught?_** Joanne asked herself. She'd only known this person for half an hour, so why was she going to take such a risk for her? She could just leave her in a quiet spot and she wouldn't even notice when something came along and found her, the state she was in…

_**>no. I can't do that. I… I just can't**_

As they drew alongside the passage Joanne ducked into it, pulling Kelly in when she saw the girl either hadn't noticed the direction change or didn't care to follow it. She pushed Kelly gently against a wall once they'd gotten quiet far into the tunnel and propelled her downwards so she was sitting. She just stared blankly ahead of her, shivering slightly. Joanne sat down opposite her, taking both her hands in her own. Physical contact always helped Joanne establish a link, and she didn't care that they looked like some adolescent Wicca wannabes trying to levitate pebbles or something… Joanne smiled briefly at that thought, thinking of several high school time sleepovers when her friends and she had sat like this, trying to 'enchant' guys to like them. Then bringing herself back to the present, she focused on the distraught yet silent girl before her.

_**>Kelly?  
>Kelly don't block me out, please. You're the only one I've got now.  
>let me help you.**_

**_>Joanne? _** The thought was weak but it was there. Joanne felt relived and slightly encouraged, at least she had her attention.

_**>but how? How can you be here? Here is me… I mean… I think… ugh I don't know but you're not supposed to be here…**_

_**>I know Kelly, I'm not but I have to right now… You can't stay here.**_

_**>why**_

_**>its not safe.**_

_**>but it is. Here there are no monsters, there is no pain, and, aa..and he's here…**_

_**>who is Kelly?**_

Mark suddenly materialised, his every feature in perfect detail. How often had the couple gazed at each other happily, content to simply look at each other for her memory of him to be this precise?

_**>Mark…**_

Then Joanne once again saw his stomach burst outwards. Kelly screamed inwardly while making no physical sound and Joanne gave her the mental equivalent of a slap round the face…

_**>STOP IT KELLY!**_

_**>HE'S GONE AND I'M HERE ALONE… WHY IS HE GONE, WHY CAN'T HE BE HERE WITH ME?**_

_**>YOU'RE NOT ALONE! I AM HERE, HERE WITH YOU!**_

_**>BUT THOSE THINGS OUT THERE… THEY'RE COMING FOR US, I CAN SEE THEM! REACHING WITH CLAWS SCREAMING FOR OUR BLOOD…**_

_**>NO Kelly. We're hidden, safe…**_

**_>HOW CAN YOU KNOW! _** The hysterical girl screamed at Joanne, still without making any real sound. **_> HOW CAN YOU KNOW ANYTHING?_**

_**>Believe me, I do.**_

_**>AND HOW ARE YOU HERE? THIS IS MY PLACE… MY, MY THIS IS MY HEAD! MY THOUGHTS! HOW ARE YOU HERE WITH ME!**_

With this realisation Kelly's thoughts where becoming more frantic as she struggled with the increasing number of impossibilities she'd encountered recently. Joanne was at a loss, how could she explain? More importantly how could he get Kelly out of this state so she could function again?

_**>Listen Kelly. We're safe for the moment but we need to get moving, the longer we stay here the more chance there is of those things finding us… YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP!**_

_**>those things… the black ones… let them take me, I'll be with Mark then, where nothing can harm us…**_

_**>no Kelly, not those. The other ones, the large one with armour**_

_**>but, it saved us…**_

_**>trust me, the next time we see it it'll be after our heads… we have to get going! **_

_**>but how do you know that? It saved us, maybe it wants to help… We should go back and see if its still there… if its ok…**_

_**>NO!**_

Kelly flinched in reaction to the violent psychic outburst.

_**>Listen to me Kelly. Those things know only how to maim and kill. They care nothing for others, they are the ones who set this up! Don't EVER go near one if you can!**_

_**>but… but how do you know this? And how are you in my head? Who are you Joanne!**_

Joanne sighed.

_**>I'm just a scared girl, lost and far from home, like you.**_

_**>but you know what those things are? What are they! What is this!**_

_**>you really want to know?**_

_**>YES! **_

Joanne took a deep breath.

_**>well, I don't know the whole story but this is my part in it…**_

_**

* * *

**_

Back in the main corridor, Rea'gul slammed into a wall and quickly dodged sideways to avoid the praetorian's striking tail. The creature hissed in pain and frustration as its tail slammed into the metal, Rea'gul rolling out of its range. The fight so far had been more or less even, with both sides giving and receiving hits. Rea'gul backed away a couple more steps to get a better run up to the xenomorph before it started to attack again, and the creauture turned its head to shriek angrily at him. All his attention seemed fixed on the lithe black figure, not noticing another creeping up behind him…

Suddenly, just as the thing began to strike the Predator turned, going to punch the alien in the head with his wrist blades out at maximum. They slammed through the smooth black dome structure and emerged out the other side, the creature jerking and flailing in its sudden death. Using the forward momentum it had generated to attack him Rea'gul swung the twitching corpse into the praetorian who had chosen that moment to attack, thinking Rea'gul distracted by its sibling. Long black limbs entangled with each other as the two bodies crashed to the floor, the still living praetorian now screaming with rage as it tried to get free.

Wasting no time, Rea'gul quickly scanned the area for the other drone that was here, and spotting it he hurled a throwing disc at it in one fluid motion. The razor shape edges popped out at the last minute, cutting deep into the xenomorph's torso. While its acid blood immediately began to disintegrate the weapon, the damage had already been done, leaving the creature with a gapping, fatal wound.

Rea'gul grinned at the dying drone; he could still best these creatures! Even with half his armour gone they could not overcome him!

Then the praetorian, still attached to the dead drone, somehow managed to clumsily leap at him, knocking the predator backwards. Rea'gul, falling onto his back, brought his legs in quickly and kicked his attacker off as he completed the sloppy backwards roll, sending it into the wall. The praetorian was now continually shrieking as it struggled with the corpse it was attached to, finally tearing some of its own spines off as it wrenched free. It turned to face Rea'gul, screaming a challege, but he wasn't there…

Twin blades ripped into the side of its head, exploiting the exposed tendons connecting its jaws together and its head to its neck. The curved blades reached up into the brain cavity and the organ it housed, grating on the inside of the massively thick head dome the praetorian possessed. Rea'gul wrenched the blades sideways, tearing the creatures lower jaws off with his brute strength, acid blood having dulled the edges of his blades.

Rea'gul stood still, then raised his arms and roared in victory, his charged proclamation reverberating through the harsh metal corridors.

* * *

_In a deeper part of the ship, another scream sounded through the passageways.  
Yet this cry was not made in elation, but loss.  
Stretching upward as much as the chamber would allow, the Queen voiced her anguish. Three of her children! Taken from her! And one of them a praetorian… one of her beloved elite…  
Inconsolable she screeched as loud as she could, simultaneously morning her children's violent passing and vowing vengeance upon the one who had done this._

_

* * *

_

Back in the corridor, Rea'gul was finishing claiming his trophies. The two drone's heads where stuck on spears attached at his back, having cauterized the bleeding neck stumps with a laser before putting them near his bare flesh. Unfortunately the praetorian's head was too mangled to make a traditional trophy, but he had cut the undamaged ridged dome from the rest of it to take instead. Dousing the head plate with alkali solution to neutralise the acidic blood, Rea'gul set it to one side while he examined his wrist blades. They had been reduced to almost half their original length by the hard meats blood, and had lost the flowing, curved shapes they were crafted in as well as their sharpness. Frowning he released them from their housings, which thankfully hadn't been damaged.  
While wrecked wrist blades were a common occurrence when battling these creatures, he still hated tossing away what had been beautiful weapons once. Reaching into his backpack he got a replacement set and slotted them into place, testing the mechanism to make sure it still worked. Then Rea'gul turned and picked up the praetorian's crest, the acid blood neutralised and resulting liquid evaporated so it was safe to touch. Using lengths of the thick cord normally used to attach trophies to belts; Rea'gul bound the crest to his forearm, so it covered his wrist blade's housings and extended up his arm giving his right side a thick, acid proof shield. He clenched his fist again to see if his blades extended past the front of the crest and grunted with satisfaction, pleased with his work.

Then he focused on the floor of the corridor, looking for signs of his next prey. While the grid had allowed most of it to fall into the drainage ducts, there was still a faint trail of warm soft meat blood leading away from the scene. Rea'gul's eyes narrowed as he began to follow the it, softly so his prey would not hear his approach. Unarmed females they could be, but if they weren't… Rea'gul grinned once more. If they weren't then the xenomorphs on his back would have some company.

* * *

_Hopefully I'll be able to update soon, but can't promise... damm exams. Reviews make revision pain go away: )_


	11. Chasing those that run and hide

_Whoa it's been a while... and for that I appologise _: )_ But two hard drive wipes and a new hard drive later I'm back with a nice new chapter! Yay! Enjoy _: )

_

* * *

_Blades slashed downwards, and the xenomorph drone gave a final shuddering scream before collapsing, its corrosive blood already eating away at the thick grid floor.D'ran started to move towards it, but then paused, listening for anything that could be near. This creature had originally been with another when he'd ambushed them, and he wasn't about to die because he'd let his guard down at the wrong time. Technological scans coming up with nothing and D'ran continued towards the fallen alien, now more at ease.

**>The other must have fled once it lost its arm. Coward.**

He looked up the corridor, eyes following the pitted trail left by the bleeding stump the drone now had. Easily followed, and injured hard meat went back to their hive, to safety, to their Queen…  
D'ran's eyes narrowed slightly, thinking of the greatest foe a Yautja could defeat, of the honour such a victory would confirm upon him…  
The thought continued, he was standing on the Queen's great crest, shattered and broken from battle, his sentence over turned, Bel'nari…  
Bel'nari, and the disgust on her face as she looked at him…

He shook his head, trying to focus on the here and now, where all hunters should dwell.  
Remembering past pain would not help him.

He checked his surroundings again before approaching his trophy, the second he had claimed so far. Quickly he dressed the carcass, taking the head off and dousing it with a liquid to neutralise the acid blood. A tap on his wrist pad brought a spike up out of his back unit, where he impaled the head next to his first hard meat kill. Leaving the rest of the body D'ran set off, following the grooves the wounded hard meat had made with its fallen body fluids. Two trophies so far was not bad, the other skulls of alien creatures from Rihion, Tellogos, Earth and where ever else they'd collected not worth as much but still valuable, still proof of his skills. Besides, soon there would be three heads against his back, when he caught up with the one has was pursuing.  
Unless, of course, one of those cowardly recruits had found it first.  
D'ran snarled slightly, those damm youngsters. He'd past two of their corpses on his wanderings in the ship, one not even killed by a hard meat. He'd left the strange gorging creature alone; it had the right to eat its prey. His snarl deepened into a look of contempt, a true Yautja was never prey! If any mangy, spineless _child _took his kill, taking advantage of the injury _he'd _made…  
D'ran increased his pace. That would not happen, and if it did, then the situation was easily rectified…

* * *

_Despite its injuries, the young drone had managed to put some distance between itself and the one who'd hurt it. Quiet chittering noises bubbled from its throat near constantly, and its uneven gait wobbled back and forth as it tried to compensate for the lost limb. Once again it reached out to the Queen, for her comforting presence, and for a mental pin point of where she, and safety, lay._

_Yet the ship's layout was confusing, and while the lone xenomorph was near to the Queen's chamber, there was no way into it close by. With no other hive members near, and its own blood masking any guiding scent trails left by scouts, there was no way for the drone to know that the mental reading of the Queens's presence it was relying on would not help it find her. _

_Suddenly it pulled up sharply, or tried to. Without one of its arms to brace a sudden stop against the drone tumbled awkwardly over its head before stopping, gurgling in protest, in a slightly tangled heap. Straightening out, it reared onto its back legs, and stretched its head out, swaying slightly back and forth. It could sense something, something like the Queen but, at the same time, not.  
Settling back down onto all of its remaining limbs the drone continued forward, but this time moving with more caution than it previously had._

_

* * *

_

"AGHH." Joanne cried, suddenly clutching her head, eyes closed, wincing in pain.

"What's wrong?" Kelly instantly asked eyes large, grabbing at Joanne's arm for her to speak.

"Something's happening… Cth'ctchi, he's doing something, but I don't know what. Ugh. Whatever he's doing, I fell sorry for whoever's on the receiving end. And there's something else, the something that I felt in the room before we where attacked, it's responding… it hurts…" Joanne grasped her head with both hands, pressing the palms into her closed eyes. Imaginary colours danced in her mind, yet couldn't distract her from what was happening in the mental backdrop of the ship.

Kelly bit her lip, eyes darting around the side tunnel they were hiding in. Having heard Joanne's story, she didn't know what to believe anymore, all this stuff about aliens and mind reading and, and Mark… She quickly shut that train of thought off, like Joanne had told her too, though tears where already streaming down her cheeks. There will be time later to cry, she had said, but now we have to stay alert and ready to move.  
She hugged Joanne to her, rocking slightly back and forth, trying to keep thoughts of Mark out of her head and trying to comfort Joanne, still curled up against the mental barrage not even directed at her.

Then she heard a strange crackling sound, like water on a live wire,  
And a clicking noise.

Kelly started to shake, arms tightning around Joanne, gaze boring into the opposite wall. She couldn't look round, couldn't face what had found them. The weapons Joanne had briefly shown her how to use seemed miles away, though really they were only just out of reach. If she dived for them…

**>Don't.** Joanne said into her head. **>It's a Predator. He'll kill us before we even reach them.**

**>You're ok?**

**>Cth'ctchi and the other thing are being more focused on each other, and something else now but as long as it's not me I'll be ok.**

**>Can you do something?**

**>I'll try.**

**

* * *

**

Rea'gul stood at the entrance to the small tunnel leading off the main shaft. He could hear the humans. He turned off his cloak, this would be easy enough as it was, and, lacking a hunting mask to do the job for him looked over the two, huddled not too far into the passage.  
He clicked in annoyance. Both female by the smell of it and what weapons they did have where not within their reach.  
Therefore not, technically, eligible for hunting.  
He turned, giving them the opportunity to shoot at his back as he left, which would allow him to battle them. He snorted at the thought, battle was not really the word, slaughter would be closer to it.

But instead of the mad scramble for their weapons he'd been expecting his mind went blank, numbness covering him.  
Then it started to hurt.

* * *

**>Is it working Joanne?**

**>PLEASE Kelly this is hard enough as it is.**

**

* * *

**

Rea'gul roared and turned back to face the girls, was this their doing somehow? He'd never even heard of humans with such capabilities but that didn't mean there weren't any… Luckily for him who ever was doing it wasn't very skilled, with only occasional flashes of pain burning across his head. Not Cth'ctchi then.  
He started to step towards them.

* * *

**>JOANNE!**

**>I'M TRYING KELLY!**

** >NO, IT'S NOT THAT! WHATS BEHIND IT?**

**

* * *

**

Suddenly the presence was gone, and Rea'gul's senses returned to him. He shook his head and snarled at them, mandibles flaring.  
And was knocked violently off his feet.

* * *

_Got another chapter almost done... so the next update should be sooner than six months away _: ) 


	12. Making the kill

_Hello to those reading this!_

_Keen, thank you for your nice review : ) hopefully Joanne will start kicking ass soon, as you're not the first to wonder at her lack of, erm, ass kickingness (Dazzler 420, hope you're still reading too :D ). If she doesn't then she'll die and then I'll have to find a new lead person thing, which is never good._

_To the others reading along, enjoy the new chapter : )_

_

* * *

_Rea'gul was furious. He had no choice but to go with whatever had rammed into him, and he rolled forwards while at the same time curling his legs underneath his attacker. At the moment when it would have the most effect, he kicking the thing forward off of him. His feet had connected with soft tissue, so the creature was not a xenomorph. Rea'gul roared as he ended the roll in a crouched fighting stance, glaring at the sprawling figure, which was whipping to its feet. It faced him and gave a bizarre cackling noise, which was echoed a little distance away.

**>Great. Skliths.**

Rea'gul instantly activated his shoulder cannon, and it whirred to life, targeting the creature quickly but not quiet fast enough…  
BAM!  
The thing hit his chest, knocking him to the ground. He immediately covered his face with his arms, a good thing as they blocked the sklith's snapping jaws that where aiming for his face and neck. These creatures relied on speed and their jaws to kill, always biting rather than clawing. Sheer instinct had directed the bites to Rea'guls unprotected face and neck, rather than the knowledge they where vulnerable. Once again Rea'gul cursed his carelessness for allowing his mask to be damaged.  
The sklith was champing on his armoured arms now, trying to get either around or through them so it could kill. Rea'gul felt it concentrate on one arm for a second longer than it should have and grabbed its neck with the free arm, crushing the breath and life from it easily.  
He quickly got up and faced the entrance to the side tunnel, humans forgotten for the moment. The first one had called to its pack, and they had answered, so soon more would be here…

A black haze flashed across the tunnel entrance, then several more, their crowing calls reverberating round the small space. Any second now they'd pour into it, trying to overwhelm their target by speed and ferocity. It was a strategy that almost always worked, if one was not adequately protected against their strong, sharp bites. Rea'gul unsheathed his wrist blades and projected his combat spear to its full length, standing ready for their assault. Then the black clouds were flowing towards him, calling to one another as their stubby claws clicked on the grid floor as they ran. Rea'gul let a barrage of blue projectiles light up the tunnel briefly, killing one and hopefully slowing some of them down.  
Then they were on him, leaping to try and knock him over or get enough height to make the deadly strike they knew so well.  
Rea'gul knew the technique for fighting them, the trick being to get them to hold still long enough to harm or kill them. He let one clamp onto his left leg and while two fastened to his left arm, the arm his wrist blades where on.  
In a fluid motion Rea'gul brought his combat spear thrusting round into the bodies of those on his arm. The force of the strike sent the tip through the first one and into the second, killing both.  
His left arm was now free to strike at the one on his leg, and he discarded his spear with the two impaled corpses on it for now. Then one of the jumping skliths snagged some of his dreadlocks in its jaws, and it landed heavily, pulling in rapid tugs to try and bring the tall Predator down to the packs level. Pulled backwards off balance, Rea'guls situation was not looking good when BAM! Inches away from his head the attacking sklith exploded into bloody fragments as a blue projectile blasted through it and into the floor.  
This gave Rea'gul just enough time to look up, see the leaping sklith bearing down on him and react in the way Predators do best.

* * *

Joanne tried to keep her eyes on the darting black shadows but they where too fast! Kelly was crouched behind her, spear held loosely across her chest, eyes also trying to keep up with the aliens, while she had the Predator 'gun', trying to be ready for when the black things would notice them. Several where attached to the front of the Predator, but Joanne was reluctant to shoot through him as then all the creatures would concentrate on Kelly and herself, and she doubted she could take on the whole pack…  
Then one caught hold of the Predator's weird hair and dragged him down, others leaping to finish the kill.  
A clear shot at last. She didn't even hesitate.  
Before the noise from the weapon had faded away two of the alien creatures were looking at them. Joanne used their hesitation to fire a spray of glowing 'bullets' across the narrow tunnel that separated them and without even looking to see the result she dived back to Kelly, grabbing the spear from her in exchange for the gun and pushing the frightened young woman away from her. 

"IF YOU GET A CLEAR SHOUT TAKE IT!" Joanne shouted as she felt rather than saw one of the aliens speeding towards her. She had time to turn before SMACK, huge paws hit her chest, knocking her off her feet and flat on her back to the ground. Instinct took over and she raised her arms, and the spear they carried, to protect her face. Just in time, the sklith's jaws clanged down on the metal, shattering several of its fangs. The splinters fell into Joanne's face as she tried to kick the beast off her, feet seeking purchase on its sleek black hide… THERE! Felling the end of the rib cage she kicked as hard as she could at the soft stomach area, shoving the surprised creature a back, enough for her to quickly swivel an end of the spear round.  
She saw, almost in slow motion, it begin its second pounce at her, jaws wide in a hideous grin, and she closed her eyes, praying she'd got the right end of the spear pointed at it…

* * *

He was close, that much he could tell. D'ran kept going. The hard meat had lead him on a merry little chase, surprising considering its injuries. Never mind, the only thing up on this level was the control room, which was locked, so soon he'd corner it and he could concentrate on a new target. Preferably one that did more fighting than running.He could hear it now, or one of its kind, screeching and thrashing up ahead. That wasn't right, while they might not be too intelligent hard meat still knew to keep quiet and still when being hunted. D'ran paused, listening to its struggles and hisses. Perhaps it was fighting with something, not a Yautja as he couldn't hear any of the roars his own species made when in combat, one of the other alien creatures perhaps?  
Activating his cloaking device D'ran carefully moved forwards, not wanting to disturb whatever was going on, yet still wanting to know what was happening to the quarry he'd chased for so long.

* * *

Hot blood splattered over Joanne as the sklith's leap impaled it on the spear. It screeched in pain, writhing and snapping at her and she screamed for Kelly to finish it. 

"KELLY! GOD DAMMIT SHOOT THE THING!"

But she was frozen, and those jaws where getting closer to Joanne's head…  
Joanne plunged into Kelly's mind and made her shoot the creauture, synapses lighting up like gunpowder trails as the impulses for her to lift the gun, aim correctly and fire blazed through her body to the muscles they would act upon.  
More blood and body parts showered Joanne.  
Wiping the worst of it from her eyes Joanne got up quickly, shoving what was left of the alien off her and raising her spear, ready for the next one.  
But she needn't have worried. The Predator was holding the last, a pile of it's pack mates at his feet, pulling his left fist back, blades bloody and exposed…  
Kelly turned away from the inevitable. She'd seen scenes like this before.

BAM

Florescent blood fountained from where the Predators left arm was, the last, now dead sklith dropping to the ground while the Predator roared in pain and fury. Joanne spun to see Kelly, still pointing the gun in the direction she'd last fired, determination written on her face. Joanne inwardly bemoaned her intervention on Kelly's inability to shoot, Predators took more than a couple of badly aimed shots to kill!  
The Predator turned and bellowed at them, slowly advancing, arm dripping vivid green gore onto the dead skliths and floor. Joanne gritted her teeth, there was nothing for it now. She pulled her blood covered top up, exposing her stomach and the mark it bore for the hunter to see, shouting at Kelly to finish what she'd started. He paused only slightly, roared again and continued to advance, walking past Joanne towards Kelly, who fired a shot that the hunter easily dodged.  
Joanne ran forward bringing the spear around in a low arc, aiming at the back of the massive alien's legs. He dropped into an awkward block, fending off the blow before grabbing the spear, pulling Joanne into him. Mandibles full flare he bellowed in Joanne's face before shoving her and the spear to the opposite side of the tunnel and continuing his advance on Kelly. Another shot fired, another shot avoided.  
Winded from smacking into the tunnel, and trying to overcome her own fear of Predators that that close encounter had brought back, Joanne reached for the only weapon she had left as the hunter batted the gun from Kelly's hands, grasped her by the neck and, continuing his stride, slammed her into the tunnel's dead end.

**>Focus Joanne, for once in your life focus…**

**

* * *

**

The pain hit Rea'gul like a blunt object, crushing all other thoughts from his mind. He dropped the cowardly, pathetic human who'd lost him his arm and grasped the side of his head with his remaining hand, howling against the unseen, untouchable foe. Then, for the second time, Rea'gul was again knocked back by something that had been hidden, and now had pounced, aiming for his head.  
But this time it wasn't black.

* * *

D'ram stopped as he turned the last corner. A strange scene greeted his eyes. 

There was the hard meat drone, trying to tie itself in knots by the look of it, using all of its limbs to scratch at its domed head, the shiny round shell now punctured and scarred with rivulets of acid blood running down it. Just beyond the range of the blood the xenomorph was flinging from its movements was a Predator, watching, and beyond that, the door to the control room, still locked.  
At its base where two humans, crouching in fear or unconsciousness, he couldn't tell.

**>Is this one yours D'ran?**

D'ran's hand automatically went to his forehead, or his helmets forehead.  
Damm Cth'ctchi...

* * *

The huge Predator had stopped struggling now, although his remaining limbs occasionally twitched.  
Kelly was crouched against the back of the tunnel, Joanne against the wall nearest to her, both staring at the thing clamped over the hunter's face. 

"What the hell just happened?"

"Kelly, Shut the fuck up."

* * *

_If you've got time, drop us a review! I'd love to hear your thoughts/ likes/ dislikes/ threats cos I've insulted the AVP genera etc..._


	13. Help wanted

_New chapter time... _

_fizzleup: thank you for your review : ) I'm glad people don't mind the psychic stuff, as it does allow my little girl to at least get away from scrapes with Predators alive.  
_

_Anyway, enjoy..._

_

* * *

_D'ran rubbed his head, wincing inside his mask, "Yes Cth'ctchi. Let me deal with it and I'll be on my way."

**>As you wish.** Came the mocking reply. Cth'ctchi then visibly flinched, fists clenching in and causing his wrist blades to extend. D'ran stared at him and he snarled.  
**>It's just the hard meat Queen. For some reason she seems to dislike me being so close by, and causing one of her brood distress, so she's trying to weaken me with her own impressive psychic abilities. **He resheathed his blades and turned his back on the small xenomorph. Suddenly the drone stopped its frantic struggle, and simply lay there, twitching spasmodically.

"Hardly any sport in killing it now, what where you doing to it?" D'ran said, stepping forward towards the fallen creature.

**>Playing with its mind, surprisingly sensitive to such things really. The whole species is over dependant on their psychic links.** The Queen must have chosen to attack again as Cth'ctchi's whole body shuddered, a small sound escaping his mouth as he tried to collect himself.

**>And you're not?** D'ran couldn't help but think, taking out his ceremonial dagger. It was made from the exoskeleton of a xenomorph, so when making trophies from recently killed ones it would not be damaged by their corrosive bloodsaving combat weapons from being dulled more than necessary. Not normally used for killing hard meats, but there was no point damaging a weapon on a victim that would provide no resistance…  
A firm thrust ended the creatures suffering. Suddenly a fresh presence exploded into his head, he'd never felt anything like it, so powerful, so full of hate… Cth'ctchi had dropped to the floor in a crouch, holding his head and roaring in protest and one of the humans passed out, slumping sideways onto the other who was screaming. Cth'ctchi gave a final roar of defiance as he stood up, shaking the worst of the Queen's assault off. He laughed at D'ran as he followed suit more slowly, standing up despite the continual mental battering.

**>Why, having just declared it's uselessness as a kill, have you killed it anyway? Why not leave it?**

"Because before you started meddling it was a fully functional hard meat, which I was hunting and which lead me on a good pursuit, even if it was mostly chasing! It should have had a quick, honourable death in combat, not be reduced to a helpless wreck by your mind games. And you can talk to me normally here, so DON'T invade my head again! It's bad enough with the Queen."

D'ran turned back to the dead xenomorph, about to try and prepare it as a trophy. Then Cth'ctchi's presence forced through his mind, dropping him to his knees, roaring at the unseen, cowardly attack.

**>I'd rather communicate this way D'ran. It reminds ones such as yourself of the power I have. OF WHY I AM COMMANDER OF THIS VESSEL, AND OF YOU.**

D'ran was on the floor now, he could feel the acid blood of the dead drone attacking one of his legs but that pain was distant, drowned by the one in his head.

**>Now. Where was I before you and your pathetic prey stumbled across my path?  
>Ah yes.**

He turned and strode slowly towards the cowering humans. The pressure on D'ran's mind lifted slightly, but was ever present, as if to remind him it could return in full force at any moment. D'ran saw one of the humans pull the unconsiuous one in towards them, eyes large with fear.  
Cth'ctchi unsheathed his wrist blades with a simple clench of his fist.

"What are you doing?" D'ran said, getting the words out beside the pain.

**>What does it look like?**

"And you call my prey pathetic! They cannot be harmed! They have no value as trophies! They are injured humans with no weapons! One a female, the other unconscious! Only a coward would take their lives to try and gain honour from the skulls they would provide!" D'ran's outrage gave him strength to get his scathing retort out before Cth'ctchi hammered into his head again.

"WHO ARE YOU TO TELL ME WHAT IS HONOURABLE?" Cth'ctchi roared, in his rage not using telepathy, "WHO ARE YOU TO CRITISE ME? AND WHO WILL KNOW THAT THESE WHERE NOT HUMANS OF GREAT COURAGE AND STRENGTH? ONE HUMAN SKULL IS THE SAME AS ANOTHER!"

"I WILL KNOW! AND I WILL SPEAK OUT AGAINST YOU! YOU WHO WRONGLY CLAIM HONOUR AT EVERY TURN!" D'ran forced himself up, against the blows Cth'ctchic and the Queen were raining down on his mind, and into a fighting stance. His blood burned with disgust and hatred, that he had ever taken orders from this bad blood! Never again, he swore to himself, never again…

Cth'ctchic laughed, and trying to shrug the Queen's persistant attacks off once more, prepared himself for the fight.  
D'ran roared at the pain and his foe, charging blindly into attack.

* * *

_  
The Queen hissed louder as she threw her mind at the beings above her. One of her children had suffered immeasurably there, and then died! Died so close to her, so close yet still she had been helpless.  
She pushed harder, she knew the one who had done it. Knew and despised it. If she could only leave this chamber, to seek it out...  
But she couldn't. And so now her children where scurrying through this labyrinth that was their territory to the place where those responsible for the cruel torture still dwelt. She did not discriminate between the four beings in the area. As far as she knew they all had played a role in the death of a drone not even hours after it had earned its adult body. Only monsters would do such things to an infant!  
Yet revenge would be had. Her brood had swelled, and while something inside her told her it was not large enough yet for them to be totally secure it was still enough so that she could control events in her territory._

The drones tending her, her eggs and those captured for impregnation seemed distracted in their tasks, yet the Queen did not care for now. She would reinforce their mental instructions once she had destroyed this creature she had endured so long. With it gone, there would be none to challenge her or play with her children's minds.  
She focused more of her mind on those above, trying to weaken them further, grinding her teeth together in frustration that she could not be the one to find them and rend their flesh, that she could only hurt them using her mind and not her talons.

The weakening links between the Queen and her brood caused some to cry out to her, seeking to strengthen the bond once more and she obliged them briefly, linking enough to reassure them before concentrating again on the chamber above them. The attending drones chattered and rubbed heads together, seeking comfort from each others presence while their Queen was busy. None of them liked her absence but they understood the reason for it. The whole brood, now somewhat used to deaths in their ranks, had been distraught as they felt what had happened to the injured drone, and those travelling to deal with those responsible had minds only of violence and vengeance. 

_Throwing more of her powers at the four, the Queen hissed in anticipation.  
Soon._

_

* * *

_  
Joanne's mind reeled. The battle filled her mind and she was finding it hard to concentrate on anything else. Kelly sat where the Predator had dropped her, gun at her feet, staring into space. Then a particularly powerful surge sent Joanne's hands to her head.

"Agghhh."

"What? What is it?"

"Can't you feel it? Its everywhere, it's like they're tearing chunks out of each other…"

"I've got a headache, but that might be more to do with my recent strangulation."

That snapped Joanne back to the here and now, and she tried to ignore the mental fighting as she looked hard at Kelly. That last sentence hadn't sounded like her at all, the panicing, grief stricken girl she had briefly got to know gone. She sounded calmer, more collected, the matter-of-fact way which she had described her brush with death alarming. Had she tampered with too much when she'd got Kelly to shoot that black furry thing?

"You know you're lucky not to be dead. If it wasn't for that white thing..."

"I know."

"Why the hell did you shoot at the Predator? If you hadn't done that he'd probably just left us alone."

"Whatever."

"I told you! Weren't you listening? They kill for sport! Two little unarmed girls do not provide good hunting and therefore get left alone, unless of course they decide to attack!"

Kelly was quiet.

"You told me to shoot…"

"I MEANT THE BLACK THINGS! THE THINGS THAT WERE TRYING TO KILL US! NOT THE PREDATOR WE'D HAVE NO HOPE IN HELL KILLING!"

"He looks pretty dead to me."

"That was pure luck and you know it. Besides looks can be deceiving."

"What?"

"He's not dead. Close to, but not dead."

"But…"

"He's dying, probably from blood loss thanks to you, but the crab thing hasn't really done any damage to him."

"What did it do then?"

"I'm not sure, but it looks like it put something inside him, like a parasite."

"Are there any more here? I don't want any parasites eating my organs."

"No, I looked and, while I can't be sure, it seems there's not another living thing around. Those black furries must have taken care of everything else. And besides, there's only one creature inside him, I noticed it because its giving off a weak psychic signal, almost like its looking for, or trying to reach something."

"One is more than enough for me."

"Besides, it's weird…"

"This whole bloody situation is weird to me!"

"Just listen for a minute will you? The thing inside him is a very simple creature, even more simple than the crab thing. That means it's probably a larvae of something. Now larvae need to eat to grow into their adult forms, but this one isn't, it's just sitting there, in his chest. What's even stranger is that despite the fact it's not eating, it is developing into something else so whatever…"

"It's growing! So it's just going to graduate to whatever its 'adult form' is in its little… chest nursery and then what!"

"I don't know!"

"You're the God damm psychic! Make an educated guess! Well you keep saying that you are. Like I've seen you use it so much to help us."

"It saved your life! If I hadn't distracted that Predator then you would have been dead!"

"It was the crab thing that really saved me! Why aren't you using your little 'powers' to help us more? Why aren't you going full out against these things, like melting their brains and stuff!"

"You have no idea how hard it is! And I have no idea what would happen if I just let go and… and I don't even know if it's possible, or what else it could cause! I could pass out, I could kill us both, I could blow up this fucking ship, or alert every horrid carnivorous creature to where we are and piss them off enough to come chasing after us, do you want me to continue? We've got weapons that are far more reliable than my mind as fighting tools."

"What good are they gonna do! So far we've got by on luck, just like you said. Not our strength or battle prowess or skill because WE DON'T HAVE ANY OF THOSE! WE'RE JUST TWO GIRLS!"

"Speak for yourself." Joanne said, leaning back against the tunnel wall, "After my last encounter with these bastards I went to all the weapons and martial arts course I could. It's easy to learn when all you have to do is slide the techniques from the instructor's mind."

"You can do that, but not anything that might actually hurt something!"

"Yes I can do that! And I can distract things, control things, take thoughts from people's heads, they do cause some pain but when would I have had the chance to practice seriously hurting something without exposing myself? And why would I want to! What would you have done, experimented on your friends, family?" she held her breath, about to say 'boyfriend' but she wasn't that cruel. "The birds that come to feed from my bird table, the dogs that I see being walked in the park? Subtle tricks, those I can do. All out death and destruction, I have never even tried!"

"So what have we got then?" Kelly said mockingly, "Two weapons, one each, and one that you have to be close to whatever is trying to hack you to pieces to actually be any good! I know which one I'm having! Then there's you, with whatever fighting skills you think you have and your next to useless mind tricks. And me. I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!"

Joanne bit back the retorts about her 'useless' mind tricks, which could still scout around for hidden danger if she remembered to and had helped save Kelly's life, among other things. What would be the point? You couldn't tell someone something they don't want to hear. Besides, they better start moving. All this shouting might attract attention to them. Joanne sighed and stood up.

"C'mon. We better get moving."

"No."

"What?"

"No! You said there wasn't anything around here, so it's safe for now. Unless your fantastic mental thingie was wrong."

"Just because there isn't anything nearby now doesn't mean its going to stay like that! All our shouting might have brought us into something's interest."

"Then you'll feel it coming, if you're so convinced you psi stuff isn't useless."

"What about that!" Joanne said, wildly gesticulating at the fallen Predator to try and get her point across, "what about the thing that's growing in his chest! Best case scenario it's one of those crab things, and we can shoot it when it crawls out of his mouth! Actually, give me the gun, might as well shoot his chest in now and kill the thing while it's staying still for us. He's only got a couple more hours bleeding to death to do anyway, and it's better than the chance I might miss when it comes out and have it stalk us for God knows how long, those crab things look fast."

Joanne held out her hand for the gun and Kelly picked it up but didn't hand it to her.

"Kelly give me the God damm gun!"

"No!"

"WHAT!"

"NO!"

"HAVE YOU GONE COMPLETELY INSANE? YOU WANT THIS THING TRAILING AFTER US, PROBABLY CATCHING ONE OF US AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON WHO IT MIGHT BE TRYING TO CONTACT! IT MIGHT BE CALLING IT'S… IT'S PACK OR SOMETHING! YOU WANT A HORDE OF THE THINGS CHASING US! THE SOONER WE KILL IT THE BETTER AND I DON'T KNOW WHY I DIDN'T THINK OF IT BEFORE!"

"NO! Listen to me Joanne! We both know we've only been surviving on luck, so why don't we make our own?"

"What?"

"We only survived last time because the crab thing jumped on that Predator's face, so what if we had one following us, ready to attack whatever we encountered!"

"You have gone insane, what the hell would stop it attacking us?"

"You would Joanne."

Joanne stared at Kelly. She could tell she meant every word.

"You said it was telepathic and that you could do 'subtle tricks'…"

"Listen Kelly…"

"We need something's help Joanne!" Kelly blurted out, body shaking with conviction, "control that thing so it will!"


	14. Reaching out

_Hello people reading : ) new chapter time. Exams are fast approaching here, which could put a dent in updates but will have to see._

_ Greenleaf7: glad you like : ) _

_Enjoy...

* * *

_

Joanne was speechless.  
Kelly had spent the last five minutes babbling about her insane plan, and how it was the only thing they could do that might help them survive.  
Joanne had to admit, it had a bizarre logic to it, but that did not make it any more appealing or doable.

"You really have no idea what you're asking me to do." Joanne said quietly. "Whatever is in there is not human, I have no idea how much, if at all, I'll be able to control it."

"But its psychic like you are and you said you could feel stuff from that Predator you told me about, what was his name? Cuth chick?"

"Cth'ctchi."Joanne corrected, struggling to pronounce the harsh clicks the name involved herself. It wasn't like she had mandibles.

"Whatever. He's not exactly the same species either but you could understand him ok…"

"Yes but this is, this is different! Predators are intelligent, they have a form of language and some even know English, Cth'ctchi included. What's growing in there, it could be anything, anything ranging from something more intelligent than us, which could recognise an attempt to control its mind and defend itself, to something that doesn't even have a brain, something that's just made up of reflexes that doesn't think, just follows instinct. How could I control something like that? Something that doesn't have a mind to control?"

"Can't you look and find out?"

"I can, but like I said before this is just its larvae stage by the look of it. It might grow into something completely different."

There was a pause as Kelly appeared to think about this.

"What's it like at the moment?" she finally asked.

Joanne sighed, "Probably just the same as the last time you asked, a large wormy thing." She cast a casual thought over the fallen Predator again, the hunters unconscious mind easy to ignore.

"Wait, that can't be right…"

"What?"

Joanne searched the worm out again, properly this time, eyes going wide.

"What Joanne?"

"It has changed! Its got defined jaws now, and its moving a lot more…"

"Moving?"

"Well, just violent twitches really but it's a lot more than it was doing the last time I looked. Its so weird, I've done embryo development at university and nothing grows this fast, not without constant eating anyway! I don't understand how it's doing it…"

"Is it gonna come out right now?"

"I don't know! I don't see how it could, it's got no limbs to pull itself up the wind pipe, or whatever their equivalent is. It looks like the muscles in its tail region are building up, but I don't see how that would help it really, it can't swim out of there."

"If it comes out now we're in trouble."

"I'll keep an eye on it. Besides, it might not come out at all. Maybe the host was meant to stay conscious and alive, while the worm produces eggs that hatch the crab things, which would be secreted from the body at some point."

"That's disgusting."

"Yeah but its how most parasites I know go about living. Well, the ones where we come from anyway. A living body is a well protected environment to live in, and there's always plenty of food around…"

"Yeah but you said it wasn't eating! It has to get out of there or it'll starve."

"It might decide to start eating. Kelly, we know nothing about this creature, NOTHING. We don't know its life cycle, whether it will die when he does, what it might grow up into…"

"It doesn't matter! If it can help defend us, then its worth the risk of hanging around to see if it does come out. If it's useless or too violent or can't be controlled we can always shoot it!"

"Kelly, don't over simplify this…"

"Well why don't you try now? Tell you what. If you try to get into its head now, and you can't do it, then we can shoot the thing like you said, while it's still in his chest, and move on. But if you can control it, then we'll stay here and wait and see what happens. Its still safe isn't it?"

Another quick mind scan, "Yes but look, we've been making a lot of noise and we're surrounded by dead or dying things. There's a lot of blood around here, it could attract…"

"It'll be alright, you'll sense them! Go on Joanne, try!"

"You know for someone who was saying how useless my 'mind tricks' are, you've suddenly got a lot of faith in them. This could all go horribly wrong."

"I just think it's the only option we've got right now. C'mon Joanne it's a baby! How hard can it be?"

Joanne eyed Kelly. "You know, I could just wipe the idea from your mind and you'd be none the wiser."

There was an uncomfortable silence.

"You wouldn't do that." Kelly said finally. "You've already told me how bad you feel whenever you invade someone's head. You won't just erase the idea, you don't have it in you."

"If it stops us from dying over some half baked idea then I might." Joanne replied, but her heart wasn't in it. Damm it, Kelly was right. She couldn't do it unless she had no choice.

"Besides, I can tell you want to try."

Joanne glared at Kelly. Had she been that obvious? Despite all her arguments against doing this she was insanely curious as to whether she could pull it off. As to how far she could stretch her power. She'd never allowed herself to experiment too much before, and here was a chance to see what she was really capable of. Besides, as Kelly said, if she couldn't do it they could shoot the Predator's chest in and be off. No harm done.  
She squashed the thoughts of how she might pass out or God knows what else. She wasn't completely new to mind control, although she'd hated herself for using it before.  
There was no harm in looking, surely…

"Alright. You keep watch, I don't know if I'll be able to sense anything approaching while I'm doing this. There's nothing anywhere near us at the moment, but it probably won't stay that way."

Kelly nodded, gripping the gun she held a little harder. Joanne looked at the fallen Predator and cautiously approached. She really didn't want to go anywhere near him, in case he stopped being unconscious, but distance made controlling harder, so she sat a little way from the body, close but not too close. She looked into his mind once more, to check he was properly under. She could barely feel his fading mind. Then she took a deep breath and directed her thoughts lower, towards the dormant alien inside.

* * *

Cth'ctchi flung himself backwards, but not quite quick enough. D'ram's wrist blades while missing most of Cth'ctchi's head caught one of his outstretched mandibles, slicing it off. Roaring in pain and fury Cth'ctchi punched D'ram repeatedly in the face, outraged that he'd suffered such a humiliating injury. Florescent blood flowed from the wound into his mouth, a sharp bitter taste briefly distracting him from combat; he'd so rarely tasted it before, with his mental powers to defeat foes before they'd even touched him. Suddenly the Queen's presence in his mind exploded in magnitude, causing him to stagger back, ceasing his bombardment of D'ram. D'ram meanwhile found that his head was clear. The Queen had left him alone! He didn't have time to look over at the humans to see if they too had been released, but the one who was screaming had stopped. Worry flitted across his mind; if the Queen had also left Cth'ctchi then he would soon be in deep trouble, yet Cth'ctchi seemed to be worse than ever.

D'ram took the opportunity to get some head punches in himself, all left handed blows. Cth'ctchi had grabbed his right, blade hand with his own, taking the deadly weapons out of the fight for the moment. How long had they been battling now? Impossible to say. Both where too caught up in the here and now to think of such things. Every second full of block, counter, punch, block, kick, thrust, duck…  
The fight continued. Both where young and in their prime, and with the Queen's continual intervention they where equals. This battle would not be easily won or lost.

* * *

_The Queen chittered triumphantly as she felt the psychic one's pain. Her brood was fast approaching the chamber they where in and soon would be upon them. She concentrated on her childhood tormentor, he was the only one who was a true threat to the squad she had sent. The others would be easily mowed down by sheer numbers.  
She stretched upwards as far as she could, trying to get nearer to the high room. Some of her more confident drones clambered up her great body, onto the high walls she could not reach. She felt pleased that some of her spawn were still functioning without her constant presence, as most had taken badly to it, crouching below her crying in distress. The squad at least had some connection to her so she could feel what was going on, but it was no where near its usual intensity.  
She did not dwell on this though. All would be righted once this one creature had been destroyed._

_

* * *

_

**_It was warm. A low thudding regularly resonated through the small creature, but this did not frighten it. It somehow knew that here it could not be harmed._**  
_**Here it was safe.**_  
**_It tried stretching its immature body, yet kept connecting with unseen objects, restricting it, holding it in its curled, secure position. Its blind head swayed to and fro, soft tissue brushing over it, a slow thud resounding through it again, soothing it, calming it, telling it not yet…  
Its simple mind knew it was safe, yet also knew something was wrong. It was alone and it should not be.  
It could not concentrate, it had no comprehension of such an action and the steady, faint stream of mental signals flowed from it at the same rate, yet it was getting restless. This haven would turn to a prison if it had to remain alone. Its developing mind knew someone should be answering.  
And then suddenly, someone did._**


	15. Unknown territory

_Hello people reading..._

_Demon Stars Revival: hope this chapter is better, theres's nothing worse than reading stuff that's confusing : ( reviews like that are good, I've not written anything other than science reports for so long I need reminding have to write creative stuff properly : )_

_Greenleaf7: glad you liked, despite the confusing talking. I'm trying to update while I still can, because in a week I go back home where there is no internet! So unless I can get online at a mates house it will be a Christmas without fanfiction for me!_

_To make up for the poor last chapter, we did draw some lil Pred Alien chestbusters... but turns out I can't post the url in here. Damm it.  
Oh well, enjoy : )  
_

_

* * *

_  
'SMACK!' A powerful crescent kick sent Cth'ctchi reeling to his left, the impact re-opening the clotted mess that had been one of his mandibles. He roared with fury and frustration, he had not received such a beating like this since… since before he took the limulia!  
Without the psychic abilities which he depended on so much his reflexes where not sharp enough to evade D'ran's blows. He was so out of practise!  
He managed to catch D'ran's leg as it began a second, outward crescent kick and pushing the leg upwards he dropped into a sweep, knocking D'ran off his feet. The predator fell to the floor with a heavy thud, and Cth'ctchi brought his own leg around and downwards in an axe kick, which would crack D'ran's ribs apart if it connected. But he wasn't quite fast enough, and D'ran rolled sideways so the kick landed in the space beside him. In return D'ran kicked upwards towards Cth'ctchi's exposed knee joint from the floor.  
Cth'ctchi once again brough his leg upwards and then downwards in another axe kick, avoiding D'ran's strike and aiming this time for the head. D'ran swerved his face out of the way but Cth'ctchi caught a lot of his dreadlocks underneath his foot, trapping his head. Not hesitating to take advantage of D'ran's position Cth'ctchi punched downwards, hard, with his wrist blades fully extended. D'ran wrenched his head free at the last minute, tearing many of his head chords off. This time he rolled out of Cth'ctchi's range, and for a minute they stood staring at each other, trying to catch their breath.

"See?" Cth'ctchi said, quickly snatching up some of D'ran's fallen dreadlocks, "I already am making a trophy of you!" His words where slurred from the missing mandible and the pain clouding his mind, but were still clear enough to understand.

"You have not beaten me yet, you wretched coward! I always knew that without those God forsaken tricks you were nothing!" D'ran bellowed back, sentences punctuated by the heavy gasps he was taking in.

Cth'ctchi's brows furrowed as he tried one again to use his mental powers to attack D'ran but all he achieved was another series of blows from the Queen's mind, ever present in his. Howling he sank to one knee and D'ran, seeing this moment of weakness, rushed in to try and finish him. Cth'ctchi managed to dive out of the way, coming out of the roll standing and facing D'ran's back. While D'ran whirled around a darting movement caught his eye. The conscious human had stood up and swiped something over the panel for the door it controlled. Soundlessly it opened, and the human was now trying to drag the other into it. Cth'ctchi, upon realising where D'ran was looking snarled angrily and charged towards the pair, only to be intercepted by D'ran charging into him, knocking them both to the floor.

"No!" Cth'ctchi hissed, "They cannot be allowed to lock themselves in there! That's the control room! Imagine what damage they could do to us, to the ship!"

D'ran punched him squarely in the face, and again. The Queen twisted and spiked his mind all the while.

"I don't care!" D'ran shouted, continuing his storm of blows, "not about anything else until I have defeated you!"

Cth'ctchi's hands snapped out around D'ran's throat, trying to throttle him. D'ran rammed his chin downwards, trying to crush or cut Cth'ctchi's hands with the rim of his hunting mask. Cth'ctchi bleakly held on, tightening his grip with all his strength but their species had tough windpipes and D'ran's was no exception. The mask's edge began to bite into his flesh and he wished he had not been separated from his own so early in the fight. There had not been a long enough pause in the battle yet for him to look for it let alone re-attach it. D'ran continued to punch at his head, the blows coming slower but by no means any gentler. Cth'ctchi let go of D'ran's neck with one hand and turned it over, quickly dragging it back so that the wrist blades would slice open his neck. D'ran threw himself backwards, Cth'ctchi's blades leaving twin gnashes on his neck, vivid blood spurting outwards. Cth'ctchi watched the spray to see if he'd cut the main artery but the small gushes told him the cuts where not deep enough. So close…  
He glanced over to the humans, the female had not gotten very far trying to drag her companion. He could still stop them from entering the control room if he hurried and defeated D'ran soon. The pain in his head was near unbearable, he'd never known anything so powerful…yet he knew he must shut it out! He must keep fighting, and win, so he could have his revenge.  
He whirled to his feet to meet another of D'ran's charges. He could not loose!

* * *

"Joanne? Are you ok?" 

Kelly cautious question whispered through the tunnel. Joanne had been sitting besides the dying hunter for quiet a while now; expression incomprehensible if a little shocked. She was also starting to shake.  
Kelly approached her slowly, then gently reached out and touched Joanne's shoulder. Joanne jumped back as if she'd been shocked, breaths coming in hurried gasps. She stared wide eyed at Kelly, almost as if she didn't understand where she was.

"Joanne! Calm down! C'mon, deep breaths, slow it down!" Kelly chattered, trying to distract Joanne from whatever was holding her attention. She grabbed both Joanne's shoulders and shook her, trying to snap her out of it.

"NO! It won't let go! It doesn't want to, it wants me to stay, to stay with it…" Joanne babbled, words high pitched and tumbling from her mouth as if she had no control. She was shaking worse than ever now, and Kelly tentatively hugged her, as if the contact would bring her back to the real world, but not knowing what to do. After a short while Joanne's breathing slowed and Kelly felt relief wash through her. She needed Joanne. She was the special one with the powers and the knowlage about the vicious hunters.

"Kelly?" Joanne said, her voice so faint.

"Yeh?" Came the reply.

"This thing is like nothing I've ever felt before… I can't even begin to describe it." Joanne shuddered once more. "It was waiting for me! Like it knew I was going to contact it!"

Kelly remained silent as Joanne leant back from the hug, eyes still huge as she spoke in a whisper.

"It won't let go either! Now there's a link it won't let go, I can feel it now! I can feel its thoughts, how cramped it is, how it wants to be out so it can join… so it can join me! It wants to be with me!" Joanne's voice rose upward in anguish.

"Can you control it?" Kelly interrupted, trying to get Joanne to focus on the reason she had contacted the creature, rather than the experience itself.

"I'm, I'm not sure, I think so." Joanne managed, looking now at the ground. "but its not control, its almost like it wants to do what I say!"

"But could you control it? If we needed to?" Kelly demanded. What would it take to snap Joanne out of this?

"I, I don't know… Oh God what's it doing?" Joanne exclaimed, snapping her head round to look at the Predator's body. Kelly followed her gaze but could see nothing. Maybe Joanne had been right she thought, maybe this was too much for them to handle...

* * *

_**Muscles twitched. Nerves buzzed. Tendons stretched taunt.  
It was time!**_  
**_It was aware of itself now, the contact with the Queen had triggered a whole flood of changes, yet its mind had nothing to do with the quivering, tensing contractions that pulsed through its young body. Hunger drove it on too, before it had not needed sustenance but now, now it did. Jaws worked against the soft surroundings between the spasms that ripped through its body, but to no avail. Something was blocking its throat, and it could not swallow what it tore off.  
Countless years of evolved instinct forced its body to push against what held it, and its jaws gapped in a soundless scream as the prison did not give way, its soft worm like body crushing against solid structures.  
Then its jaws gapped even wider as instinct took hold of them too, retching and choking as a thick membrane covering its throat was scrapped off and thrown up.  
But now liquid was pouring into its lungs! I could not breathe! Its young mind raced with its need to escape, body rippling outward again to shove against barriers it couldn't see. Only one area did not hurt, its head, protected by a hardened case designed especially for this moment but it did not know that.  
All it knew was come the third convulsion the area in front of its head gave a loud crack._**

**_

* * *

_**

Rea'gul was lost.  
His mind drifted through shapeless dreams, tinged with shadows of pain as his life blood continued to bleed out.  
Everything was fading, falling from him into darkness. He could no longer hear his faltering breaths nor feel the throb of his heart.  
Eyes stared unseeing, pupils dilated, thoughts slowing as though moving through treacle. Nothing could reach him as he continued towards oblivion.  
Nothing except the splintering pain, which suddenly exploded in his chest.

* * *

Eyes snapped into focus, spine arched, mandibles flared as Rea'gul woke, his roar of pain weak, bubbling with his own blood.  
The two girls jumped backwards. They had been standing close to him when he woke…  
Rea'gul rolled onto his side, writhing, then suddenly arching backwards again. He tore at his chest with his remaining arm, great claws gouging deep rents in his own flesh. The tunnel seemed to glow as more of his blood fountained from his mouth, a strange cracking noise sounding on top of his howls.  
The humans could only stare as his chest heaved and pulsed, ribs snapping with ear splitting cracks as the worm rammed itself against Rea'guls sternum, its thrusts getting more and more urgent until… 

'CRACK!'

The chestbuster's screams of triumph as it gulped in fresh air joined the human's screams of terror that echoed throughout the tunnel.


	16. Teething problems

_Yay, a network I can plug my laptop into!_  
_Merry Christmas everyone.  
_

_Demon Stars Revival: danke : )_

_Greenleaf7: hope you have a good trip : ) and I've put the urls for those pics up on my bio page like you said to, thanks for telling me how to do it._

_Enjoy the new chapter, the doodles on my bio page and have a good holiday : D

* * *

_**_A flood of sensations bombarded the young chestbuster as it took in its first frantic breath. Scents and sounds formed patterns and images in its mind, creating a swirling, ever changing view of its surroundings. It could feel the heat of its host's body, keeping its coils warm as it swayed to and fro, mouth agape, drifting in the new feelings. It stretched and twitched its four stubby mandibles awkwardly, unused to using the tiny structures.  
It was then abruptly jolted out of its post emergence trance by the return of the near crippling need for food. It cried out, its voice rising high and wobbly to echo around the tunnel. Its Queen was near, it could feel her, yet she had not welcomed her child into the world. It could feel waves of terror and revulsion coming from her, frightening the hatchling, where they being attacked? It may have been only a few minutes out of the dormant, parasitic part of its life cycle yet the fear its Queen was emitting triggered reflexes inside it as old as the species itself.  
It writhed its long body until it was free of its host and dropped to the grid floor. The hunger pangs suppressed for the moment by its need to protect its Queen, it slithered over the surface, towards the source of the scared signals.

* * *

_**

Joanne and Kelly didn't dare to move as the worm freed itself and began to approach. Kelly pulled at Joanne's sleeve, trying to get her attention.

"Joanne, you've got a hold on it, right? Its not gonna eat us or anything?"

Joanne continued staring at the strange, blood covered creature making its way towards them, eyes distant. It reached their feet and reared up, making fast clicking noises.

"Joanne…"

Suddenly the creature hissed and lunged at Kelly, snapping furiously. Without thinking Joanne grabbed the worm, pulling it away from Kelly.

"No! Leave her alone!" Joanne said out loud, holding the worm so that its head was turned to her.

"Joanne! Am I gonna shoot this thing right here, right now?" Kelly said, levelling the gun at the worm, breaths coming fast after the shock of the lunge, "can we use it?"

"Yes," Joanne blurted out, "Its just, confused…"

The worm's coils where hanging limp from Joanne's grasp, the head turned towards her even though it had no eyes that she could see. Close to she could see faint veins throbbing under its thin, translucent skin, while the top of its 'head' was covered with a hard pale substance, scratched in places and splattered with vivid green from its violent emergence. It had small, silvery nubs growing from underneath the 'cap' on the top of its head, which looked very out of place on the creamy coloured being. It also had many small, but sharp looking teeth, surrounded by four stumpy mandibles, which it was waving gently as it studied Joanne.  
A low hissing sound began buzzing round the tunnel and Joanne looked alarmed for a minute,

"No!" She said, letting go of the worm, "I am, I…" Joanne suddenly stopped talking and determination flashed across her features. Kelly felt a ripple pulse through her as Joanne glared at the creature focusing full on it, while it reared up again with its small jaws wide in a snarl. For a moment they stared at each other, and then the worm, making upset, cringing noises, put its head to the floor.

"It's ok Kelly. I've got it now." Joanne said, looking at the other girl for the first time in a long time.

"So what's the deal, it just escape your control for a bit back there?" Kelly said, not lowering the gun.

"No, its more like, erm, ugh it's hard to explain… Look I can't control this thing, but I don't have to."

"You are making no sense Joanne" Kelly said, holding her aim steady.

"I told you before, it wants to be told what to do, its waiting for orders! I guess these things must live in groups, and that's why it was sending out that little mental signal I picked up on. It was trying to contact its family or its pack or something. But I stepped in before they did, so now it takes orders from me. But…"

"But what?" Kelly said.

"But I don't look or smell anything like one of those things." Joanne continued. "And that's alright because the strength of my mental link with it sorta overrides it. But when I picked it up it almost went into shock, I think it was the touch that did it more than anything. I don't physically feel like the one it's meant to be taking orders from, and that along with all the other stuff made it fight my link with it." Joanne sighed, looking back at the grovelling alien. "But its ok now. I convinced it."

"How? And will it happen again?"

"As long as I don't touch it, or go too near it, I think we'll be ok. And convincing it was no problem once I realised it's just an infant. You ever babysat some unruly kids? All they need is for you to be firm and not give into them and they'll soon quieten down. Bizarrely it's the same with this thing."

Kelly eyed to worm critically. "Is it going to be any actual help do you think? A worm isn't exactly the protector I had in mind."

"I don't know." Joanne said quietly, "but it's really hungry, and there's only one reason things eat loads having come out of a larvae stage, and that's to grow."

"Maybe you where right all along, maybe this isn't such a good idea…"

"But we've come this far Kelly! We might as well see if it can be useful."

A long creedling sound came from the worm as it turned its head upwards a little towards Joanne. She nodded and the creature turned, making its way to one of the many black furry bodies that where in the tunnel.

"I can't believe how many different emotions it has." Joanne said, eyes following the worm's progress. "that alone says it won't stay a little worm for very long, only more complex creatures need such an advanced brain."

"Maybe alien worms are different." Kelly said, having finally lowered the gun as the creature had slithered off.

"But think about it! Worms just need to know how to eat and move and, and simple stuff like that. Why would worms need to say sorry or ask for permission to feed, like it did just now?"

"That's what it was doing?"

"It'll become something better Kelly, just wait." Joanne said, sending out her mind through the corridors around them. "Besides there's still no one else around, so we're pretty safe here."

"Alright." Kelly said, coming back over to where Joanne sat. "How long do you think we'll have to wait?"

Joanne looked back at the worm, which was swallowing a strip of flesh it had pulled off in a series of snapping head movements. "I dunno. Just until it moults or pupates or whatever it's species do."

* * *

_**Bite. Tear. Swallow.  
The chestbuster thought of little else as it frantically bolted down chunks and strips of flesh.  
The need to eat filled it.**_  
**_It was content, its still young mind happy in the simple actions that feeding required, forgetting the terrible doubt that had assailed it moments before. Its mental bond waxed strong and true in its head, overriding its olfactory sensors which were trying to tell it something was very wrong. It played over the dying memory as it fed, before it faded beyond recognition…_**

**_It had been so confused, either of the two creatures not what it had been expecting in a Queen. Yet its need to protect the one it was bonded to had led it to attack the other, similar creature. And it had been stopped by the one it was trying to serve, but in that moment of contact it froze, unable to simply trust its mind link with her anymore…_**  
_**She was so wrong!**_  
**_Her hands had been harsh and dry, their roughness stinging against its thin, delicate skin. Her alien smell had filled its world, and the sounds she made where unrecognisable to the young creature. It hissed with surprise and distaste.  
Then it was dropped, and her outlandish scent and touch was gone, her presence filling its mind, commanding and powerful.  
Doubt was washed away in its mind, the stressful events being cleansed from it. Grovelling beneath her it begged pardon, of course she was its Queen, what else could she be? Seeming satisfied she withdrew her imposing presence, and began chattering with the other creature._**  
_**After a short while it asked permission to feed, it was still ravenous having not fed all the while inside its host, and she consented, which led it to the present…**_

_**Then the memory was gone, its long term memory having not developed enough to remember the events.  
And now it was at ease as it fed, knowing it was safe in its Queen's presence. **_


	17. Are you ready?

_And so the holidays are over... Hope everyone had good ones! Now I'm back at uni should get back to updating more regularly._

_miikaawaadizi: wow I can't beleive how much you've written since I've been away! Must get round to reading it all. Hehe... caring and feeding chestbusters guide, for first time Queens who want to make the best of their broods! lol._

_enjoy..._

_

* * *

_  
Kelly rubbed the back of her neck, arching it until the bones clicked. She was still holding the gun in her other hand, but her grip was loose now, the passage of time dampening the alert and cautious attitude she'd assumed when the worm had first gone to the dead furry aliens to feed. How long had they been here, waiting around while that thing gorged itself? It was a wonder that nothing else had tracked them, or stumbled across them, yet. Occasionally they did hear echoing roars and screams but every time they had been from far away. It seemed nothing was interested in this part of the ship.Had Kelly studied skliths, she would have know that the fast creatures patrol their territory regularly and viciously, killing anything they come into contact with. This creates an empty area, which creatures either learn to avoid or die. But Kelly had not studied skliths, indeed she didn't even know they where called that, so the absence of other life was making her suspicious. It all seemed too perfect, here they where, defenceless, staying in one place for God knows how long and nothing had approached them. It was almost like they were being set up, but she couldn't think of any reason why.  
Her thoughts were disrupted by the worm, emerging from the remains of its fourth sklith. It was hugely bloated from when it had first emerged from the hunter, yet this did not seem to impede its progress as it slithered along the grid floor to another body. It started to eat and Kelly averted her eyes, not wanting to watch the gory mess it would create. She looked at Joanne, sitting next to her, and was surprised to see a faint smile on her lips.

"What's up?" Kelly asked, and Joanne dragged her gaze from the feeding alien to focus on her companion.

"Hmm?" She replied, "Sorry I didn't catch that."

"What's up with you? Why are you smiling?"

"I am?"

"Yes!" Kelly said, slightly annoyed, "Why on earth would you be smiling while looking at that ugly thing? I honestly don't know how you do for so long without feeling sick."

Joanne looked at the floor, her fingers knotting and fiddling in her lap, "Its just its so, so innocent."

Kelly looked at her, eyebrows going up. "Innocent?"

"Yeah."

"Joanne, we've watched that thing rip its way out of one body, and rip its way into five more! How the hell can it be innocent!" Kelly said.

"It's just hungry." Joanne replied, "it's not doing it because it hates them or wants them to be in pain. It's just doing it because it's hungry. And its so trusting, before when it went for you it thought you where a threat or something, but I've told it you're ok and now, well that's it. Its own opinion doesn't come into it. As long as I think its ok, it thinks the same. And it feels so, so content, and safe. Like while it's with me, nothing can hurt it. Just complete trust and faith."

Kelly considered this for a minute. "Joanne, once again. Its nursery was in somethings chest!"

"That's not its fault. Its like, you know, fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly…"

"And weird alien worms gotta arrive by exploding ribcage?" Kelly finished, the pitch of her voice going up in disbelief. "You know you've been a little strange since you 'linked' with this thing, are you sure you're ok?"

"Yeah its just like nothing I've ever done before…"

"Remember when you where shocked and repulsed by the thing? Go back to that, this whole 'its sweet and innocent' stuff is a bit freaky. Its like you're getting attached to it." Kelly said, squirming to try and find a more comfortable position to sit in.

Joanne said nothing, still looking at her hands as they played with a tear in her trousers.  
**>Its hard not to like something that adores you.** She thought to herself.

* * *

One of the huge monsters was thrown violently against the far wall, it's crashing impact making Michelle jump, whimpering. She had been trying to block out the fierce battle, to ignore the terrifying fiends that hammered and slashed each other, she had to get David to safety!  
She heaved at his limp body again, pulling him closer to the open door she'd activated. It was the nearest one to them, so the least distance to drag her son. She worried about what further damage she was doing to his already injured body by tugging him around like this but she had no choice. She was barely strong enough to drag him let alone pick him up. She pulled David a few more inches towards the doorway, knowing that while they might be safe in a room with only one exit they would also be trapped (She'd snatched a quick look in the room when she'd opened the door, as she'd already paid for entering a room she'd known nothing about). That didn't bother her greatly; as they would be safe once she'd locked the door behind them. Then they could wait until the police came and sorted all this out and then an ambulance would come for David and everything would be alright…  
She pulled once again, repeating that to herself, everything would be alright…

* * *

**>God damm that stupid human!** Cth'ctchi thought as he saw how close she was to the door since he'd last looked. D'ran swung at him and he dodged, the blow missing and allowing him to get two quick jabs in D'ran's stomach. While he may be out of practise, Cth'ctchi could tell this fight was not about to finish, and certainly wouldn't finish it time for him to get to the humans before they locked him out of the control room! His chain of thought was broken as D'ran launched a rapid series of punches that made Cth'ctchi only focus on blocking them. He was doing fine until the wretched Queen twisted in his head again, pain shuddering through his frame and then BAM D'ran landed a punch and sent Cth'ctchi sprawling, dazed. He shook his head violently to try and clear the stars in it and blearily saw D'ran bearing down on him. He kicked out, catching the other Predator in the stomach and using his forward momentum threw D'ran over him, then flipping himself to his feet. D'ran got to his, and bellowed at Cth'ctchi. He was still between Cth'ctchi and the humans. Cth'ctchi snarled back as a sudden idea hit him, so simple he wondered how he'd not thought of it before. He grinned as he charged at his adversary.

* * *

**>Almost there now… almost there David…**  
'BAM'  
Michelle jumped backwards as one of the battling creatures slammed into the wall in front of her, an huge bloody tangle of armour and limbs. Michelle couldn't move, frozen like a rabbit in headlights as its head snapped around to look at her, vivid eyes burning into hers, focused on one thing. Time seemed to slow and she was vaguely aware of the other creature running towards them but her gaze was fixed on the one before her, pulling back a fist almost in slow motion… a fist with blades on it…  
Time snapped back, and Michelle knew no more.

* * *

D'ran crashed into Cth'ctchi, pounding on any parts of his body he could reach. 

"YOU WORTHLESS," 'SMACK' "PATHETIC," 'SMACK' "COWARDLY" 'SMACK' "SCUM!"

Cth'ctchi somehow managed to get purchase on the furious D'ran, heaving him off. He made no reply to the torrent of insults D'ran was screaming in his righteous rage. Now no humans where going to lock him out of the ships controls, he could focus everything on the fight. The Queen spiked through his mind like a hot nail and Cth'ctchi fought to dampen her efforts while trying to plan his next attacks. D'ran was furious that he'd broken the hunter's code, killed an unarmed female but he didn't care.  
Plus D'ran's unfocused rage might give him the edge he needed to end this fight his way...

* * *

_**Eat, eat, eat… DON'T EAT.**_  
**_The little chestbuster froze mid chew. The overpowering desire to eat had vanished, gone, in an instant. It raised its head upward, supporting itself on its chubby coils to look vaguely around. What should it do now? It left the half eaten remains and tried to crawl towards its Queen for instructions._**  
_**She would know what it must do now.  
But it was finding it hard to crawl, and it chattered in frustration as the further it crawled the harder it was. It stopped to lift its head up again but found that this too had become extremely difficult! The slime coating its body joined it to the floor in long strings where it had pulled away from the surface. It had never done that before! It was normally, well, slimy so it could crawl more easily but now it felt sticky more than anything else.**_

_**Then another set of reflexes, activated by the full belly the chestbuster had amassed, kicked in, telling it exactly what it should do now…  
GET UP HIGH, HIDDEN, SAFE…  
It struggled to the nearest wall and laid its tail onto it, where it stuck.  
UP HIGH  
More coils followed, and the young one began a slow journey up the wall.  
HIDDEN**_  
**_It hit the ceiling with its blunt nose and paused. It was as high as it could go, it though sleepily._**  
_**SAFE**_  
**_The Queen reached out to it, questioning. Despite this the chestbuster, tired after the difficult journey, fell asleep. Its last thought was that of course it was safe, with the Queen watching near by..._**

**_

* * *

_**

"So?" Kelly asked, nudging Joanne, "Whats going on?"

"I don't know, its just fallen asleep…" Joanne replied.

They both looked at the fat creamy worm that was defying gravity at the top of the far wall. Some of its body was sticking to the ceiling. Both the girls where quite confused.  
Suddenly the soft looking, off white, gently pulsating worm stiffened and the slime coating it turned hard and black in a wave radiating from its head downwards. A crisp, crinkling sound accompanied the transformation. The black mass had no distinguishing features, and certainly blended in well with the corridor. If they hadn't know were to look Kelly and Joanne wouldn't have seen it at all.

"So is this the pupae thing you said would happen?" Kelly asked, a nervous tremor evident in her voice.

"Yeah, I guess so." Joanne said peering at the thing.

"When it comes out as a crab, you gonna be ready to control it?"

Joanne considered repeating what she'd already told Kelly about how it wanted to be told what to do rather than needed restraining but decided against it.

"Yes Kelly." She simply said. "I'm ready."


	18. Victory's Price

_New chapter time..._

_Queen of the Red Skittle: hehe I love writting for the aliens, dunno why. Maybe because they see nothing wrong with all the carnage they cause, its just growing up and living for them!_

_Greenleaf7: welcome back, hope you had a nice hols : )_

_

* * *

_

_**The young chestbuster slept.  
It had not noticed its exterior hardening, or played any part in initiating the change. Such things where beyond its control.  
And it was more than asleep really, unconscious would be closer yet in truth its condition was more serious and potentially deadly.  
Its brain had been shut down.**_  
**_There was a good reason for this, as to be conscious while its entire body was broken up and re-arranged would be traumatic and painful to say the least. Even being unconsciousness was not enough, for one can shake off the condition and wake up…  
So all of its mind had to be stopped for the time being, while everything, including the brain which housed its fragile, young mind, was taken apart and re-forged._**  
_**New organs materialised from the strange soup contained in the cocoon, vague structures where created, then coated in layers of hardening chitin and at the end of the nubs that would become its hands, talons began to stretch and hone.  
Its short, tranquil childhood was almost over.**_

_**

* * *

**_

D'ran finished his furious combo of punches with a roundhouse kick that sent Cth'ctchi sprawling. He roared at his opponent, leaping to the fallen figure and kicked Cth'ctchi straight in the face. Satisfaction pulsed through him as he felt another of Cth'ctchi's mandibles snap off and heard Cth'ctchi hiss in pain. Such underhand techniques D'ran was normally reluctant to use but right now, having watched Cth'ctchi deliberately kill a defenceless, weakened female, the Bad Blood lying before him deserved to be put through hell.  
He kicked at Cth'ctchi again, but the predator caught his foot and spun it around, bringing D'ran to the floor while he got to his feet quickly. Cth'ctchi wasted no time in delivering a few of his own blows, one downwards kick landing painfully in D'ran's right calf muscle, damaging it badly.  
D'ran rolled over and away from another blow, but swung his legs around in a sweep that once again knocked Cth'ctchi down and hurriedly got to his own feet, clenching his jaws against the pain that rippled through his lower leg when he did so. Before Cth'ctchi could get up or strike at him D'ran brought his foot down hard onto Cth'ctchi's unprotected throat, pinning him there while stamping down on his blade arm with his other leg so Cth'ctchi was helpless. Looking down at his opponent, D'ran couldn't hold back his laughter. Cth'ctchi would never be able to speak again. His mandibles where too badly mangled for even surgery to fix them now. He was a disfigured mute!

Cth'ctchi let loose a vague bellow at the cruel, mocking laughter and D'ran. In response D'ran only laughed harder.

"I wish you could see yourself Cth'ctchi." He said, grinning widely, "I wish all those on this ship could see this! The real you, a worthless pathetic wreck!" D'ran paused and spat a wad of glowing blood onto the floor, "I knew you where truly unfit to be the commander of this ship, but I had not known the depths you where willing to fall to. I wouldn't even suspect those pitiful youngsters of disobeying the code by taking the life of such a feeble creature, yet you prove you are beneath even them!"

Cth'ctchi just glared at D'ran.

"I could kill you now Cth'ctchi." D'ran said, leaning down, closer to the others blood-splattered face, "but you know what? I'm not going to. I'm going cut you up so you can't move an inch, then throw you in a containment cell. So after the hunt everyone can come see and have a good laugh. And then we'll see what the real elders have to say about what you just did, once everyone's been cleared of their past failings that is. This hunt of yours, I must admit, was a good idea. No one will be able to say we're dishonourable after the trophies this hunt will give to us. All thanks to you." D'ran smiled once again at Cth'ctchi, who had still said nothing.

"Whats wrong Cth'ctchi? No intelligent remarks? No psychic comeback? You always did rely on your head to get you out of trouble. Damm stupid if you ask me." D'ran extended his wrist blades to their full extent, preparing to mangle Cth'ctchi's limbs.

Then suddenly Cth'ctchi snatched his blade arm from under D'ran's foot, the weakened calf muscle unable to keep it pinned. He dragged the razor sharp blade up through the muscles in D'ran's leg, slicing them to ribbons. D'ran howled in surprise and agony as the leg gave way and he began to fall. Timing his strike just right, Cth'ctchi moved into a crouch as the pressure on his neck fell away. D'ran was dropping to his knees as he tried to stay standing despite the inevitable pull of gravity and Cth'ctchi, moving as fast as he possibly could, struck.  
His twin blades met no resistance as they penetrated D'ran's chest, Cth'ctchi aiming just below the ribcage but angling the blades upwards so getting to the vulnerable organs within. D'ran was frozen in shock as Cth'ctchi stared him in the eyes.  
He savoured the expression on D'ran's face for a moment, wanting to gloat more but he didn't want to repeat D'ran's mistake. Still, one little jibe couldn't hurt…

**>I WIN D'RAN. **He thundered, the Queen trying to prevent him from using his mental powers but failing this time. While he was severely limited by her presence he could still get out three words to taunt D'ran one last time with.

And then he twisted his arm around, turning the blades that where already embedded in D'ran's chest so that the predator screamed in pain before he finally died.Cth'ctchi tried to grin, but couldn't.  
The sense of triumph he had was dampened by how badly he was injured and he kicked D'ran's body a last time before going to find his hunting mask. He was going to need it.

* * *

_The Queen roared in frustration as she felt the hated one's triumph. That could only mean he had won the battle. Hissing angrily she consoled herself that her children would have little trouble bringing him down in the poor condition he was in. She would have his life yet.  
She reached out to those speeding through the tunnels towards him, encouraging them on. Every one of them was pumped up on adrenalin and the need to bring down this threat to their hive. Here they would prove to their Queen that they were worthy of her love, her protection and with the death of the psychic there would be few truly dangerous things to their Queen. She would be free to concentrate on making this place their own._

_

* * *

_

Cth'ctchi had found his mask. It was slightly dented but otherwise was working fine. He slotted it back onto his head and looked around the room. The first thing he noticed was that the other, unconscious human was still alive. Cth'ctchi was surprised; he had thought humans weaker than this. He stepped over to the human and looked at him closely, eyeing the various injuries he had acquired until he felt the vicious cloud of hate that was boiling his way.  
His eyes narrowed, reinforcements sent by the Queen, he should have guessed she would pursue him after the stunt he'd pulled with D'ran's little one armed hard meat.

Cth'ctchi growled under his breath before making short work of the boy before him. He took the spines and heads of both humans but just the head of D'ran. He could make them into trophies in a moment, when he was sure he was safe.  
Dumping his bloody booty in the control room Cth'ctchi went back and picked up the card key the human female had been carrying. He then strode back into the control room as the first of the xenomorphs rounded the far corner. At the sight of him a great screeching sound went up and they all lengthen their strides, trying to reach him…

**>Not today.** Thought Cth'ctchi as he swiped the card over the pad, closing the door before any of them reached him. Having realised that she could not reach him the Queen hammered down on his mind even more in her rage, and spots swam before his eyes at the intense painful feelings.

**>That's enough of that. **He thought, walking over to the taser controls and firing as many as possible into the Queen at once. Hitting the voltage up dangerously high, Cth'ctchi relaxed as he felt his mind clear for the first time in a long time. The Queen's high pitched screeching was slightly muted from inside the room, but was still loud enough to prove to Cth'ctchi that she disliked it. He stopped the tasers, to see if she'd caught on, but her mental assault returned, trying to bring him down.  
He hit the activator again and sat back to enjoy the screams.

* * *

It was quite a while later, but the Queen had finally learnt her lesson. Cth'ctchi brought up a visual of her chamber and of the corridor outside and was glad to see a dejected smoking mess in the first and no aliens in the later. And she had finally got the message that messing with his mind was not a good idea. He then turned those images off and typed a search program into a console. There shouldn't be too many humans left alive by now, but if there where any then he was going to find them. And if one was that accursed girl then he'd have his revenge…  
In the meantime, while the program searched, he got to work on his new trophies.

* * *

_The Queen groaned unhappily. Her black, flawless exterior had been punctured and shatter in many places, and the pain, the searing burning attacks the psychic one was somehow creating…  
She had no choice but to stop, and the sharp mental points had withdrawn from her, leaving her in peace.  
Several of her brood lay around her, burnt from trying to bite or claw the cables that had attacked. She sent soothing thoughts to them, trying to calm them down as stop their fear._

_Then the Queen reached out to her hive, almost doing a role call. She re-established old bonds and forged new ones with the waiting chestbusters or young, fully formed individuals just out of their cocoons. She sent out escorts to bring such young ones to the heart of the hive where it was safe.  
And, satisfied that she had missed no one, she settled down to sleep, and to heal._


	19. New sensations

_Sorry this updates been abit of a while, exams have reared their ugly heads and revision must be done.  
Strange how when you have work or important things to do you feel most inspired to write more, yet when you have time to spare you can't write anything!  
Enjoy : ) _

* * *

Cth'ctchic leant back in the control room, having finished with his trophies. The two gleaming human skulls he ignored, looking solely at the_ other_ skull. One that belonged to his own species. He chuckled slightly, the sound emerging bizarre and twisted from his mangled mandibles. D'ran…  
Cth'ctchi briefly pondered whether he could display the skull with his other trophies, D'ran was, like him, facing a death sentence if recaptured so if Cth'ctchi was pardoned technically he should not be punished for killing him. He frowned and placed all the skulls in a compartment, out of sight. Such an issue would have to wait until after his honour was restored. He ground his teeth at the thought of those who had banished him, cast his name into the dirt… Simply because he'd dispatched that insolent upstart and a mere human had tattled on him. The insult that they had believed her over him! In Cth'ctchi's eyes it did not matter that she had been telling the truth, all that mattered was his elders acceptance of a human's account rather than his, one of their own clan! Species even!  
He consoled himself with the thought that soon he would be restored to his rightful position, if not higher. 

The first Predator in recorded history to take down a queen alien single handily… such an achievement would outshine his minor offence and bring such rewards.

His mandibles then began to spasm, twitching awkwardly. Cth'ctchic frowned and reached to his pack, locating the med kit stored there and pulling it in front of him. He knew he should have treated his wounds earlier, but he'd been too engrossed in persuading the queen to leave him alone, and then his new trophies and the progress of the search program slowly ticking over on the display to his right. He glanced at the display and clicked angrily, or tried to. Pain blossomed over his face as clotted blood cracked and fresh blood flowed. Still no sign of the girl. He began checking himself over, looking for any serious injuries but finding nothing more than shallow slices, scrapes and bruises. Gingerly he explored the extent of the damage on his face with his hands, wincing as he found the tender spots most harmed. He frowned as he felt that unless he got help from a trained medic he would loose the mobility in another mandible. Medics could also replace the two he'd lost with technological ones but there where no medics on this ship, and he could not, _would not_ cry for help. Besides without revoking his death sentence he would simply be killed rather than given medical aid.

No, he'd have to make the best of it until this hunt was over, he could get patched up another time.

Making up some of the blue healing gel normally reserved only for serious injuries, Cth'ctchi tended to his facial injuries, not minding the waste because there were several spare kits in the control room with which he could replace the valuble stuff.A yelp escaped him as he felt the gel's painful kick. He had thought the small amount he'd used would not have produced its characteristic 'sting' but…  
Snarling he replenished his med supply and reattached it to his pack. He turned and glared at the monitor, still nothing.  
He had so wanted to kill her.

* * *

_**The creature twitched. Then again.**_  
**_Once more and, like a flipped switch it's mind was back._**  
_**It felt. It thought.  
And it was no longer the basic organism it had been.**_  
**_Before it had been so limited, so blind. Controlled completely by what was written in its blood and instincts._**  
_**But now things where different.  
It tried moving, but once more found itself restricted. No matter, it knew how to deal with such a situation now…  
Tensing its muscles it was about to slam against the case that restrained it but something held it back, another instinct saying that caution may be advisable.  
So it tried to see what was around it, and was taken aback by what it saw.**_

_**There was the world, vibrant and clear, picked out in waves and shimmers that spiralled and reflected of each other, enticing and beautiful.**_  
**_It called out to the young one, for it to escape this drab prison and be part of it, there was nothing near except…_**

**_Except HER.  
It's Queen._**  
_**Mother, protector, guide.  
The most important thing in its world.**_

_**It tensed once more to break free, thoughts buzzing and ecstatic, greeting its Queen and exploring in its new found senses.  
It barley started its push against its cocoon before it cracked and split, so easily it had broken! How strong it was now!**_  
**_It dropped to the floor and chittered excitedly as blood rushed to its new limbs, the numbness in them fading away with each throb of its heart._**

**_It arched its whole body, stretching every tendon and joint, its exoskeleton snapping into place and hardening, covering almost its entire body. Talons unfolded and it brought its writhing body down into a crouch, reaching forwards with its arms now trying to dispel the stiffness that plagued it. Watching each hooked finger as they flexed and clasped, it admired its new body, picked out in the ever changing pulses and patterns that made up its world. Muscles rippled from beneath the hard armour it wore, claws glittered and spines rose from its back all the way down its tail, and oh what a tail!_**_** Its slender form ended in a blade like structure, so sharp yet so delicate looking…  
It turned its head and slivery strands tumbled from its neck, hanging lazily down as it looked around the chamber. However its head movement was restricted by some of the tresses caught in the spines along its back. It shook its head suddenly to dislodge them, the smooth, hair like chords untangling from its back.**_  
**_It reached forth an arm as it turned to approach its Queen in a four legged gait, yet a second later it propelled itself upwards and continued in an effortless upright stance, flexing its now delicate mandibles with none of the hesitation or clumsiness it had before, revelling in its new body and in the strength, the grace it now possessed. _**

_**Reaching her, it crouched by her and crooned softly, mental link strong but yet also muted at the same time…  
It did not ponder about this overly, the Queen's ways where not its own and she always knew what was right, and what must be done. There undoubtedly where many other things she must attend to besides it.  
So it deepened its crouch into a more comfortable one and waited, while its mind went over every detail of the place it was in, savouring every new observation as they came.  
The Queen would tell it what to do soon enough.**_

_**

* * *

**_

Joanne looked at the thing squatting next to her.  
It was humming slightly.

She then looked at Kelly, who had thankfully fallen asleep not long ago and had remained that way through the alien's emergence. She tried to keep her fear out of her mental bond with the young creature. Now it was older and considerably more dangerous she could not afford for it to question her again.

But what would Kelly say, and do, when she woke up?

She closed her eyes and the images she'd tried to shut out and forget swam before her, released by the alien's appearance. Memories of the group she had briefly been part of, and of the grisly fate they had suffered.  
How could she have not realised!  
Her last memories of Will surfaced in her mind once more, of the black things that had held him for the pale creature to drop on his face…  
How had she not made the connection!  
She berated herself for not thinking clearly, for blocking the incident out rather than using it to know what the worm would become.

And Kelly…  
She had a more personal reason for shutting the event out, for not making the link  
What would she do when she woke and realised their protector was kin to those who killed her beloved Mark?

There where some differences between it and the black creatures they had encountered before but those where small compared to the similarities. It felt a lot smarter than the ones Joanne had felt before too. Its appearance suggested it had taken some of its host's characteristics, but how much had that extended internally? Would it be as smart as Predators where? Joanne could see things rapidly going downhill if it was, or would be, that intelligent.

The creature turned its head slightly, and Joanne could feel its adoration flowing from it. It would do anything for her, anything. Not because she was forcing it to or because she was hurting it, but because it was devoted to her, and would do anything to please her.  
Her mind struggled with the warm, content feelings she was receiving from the alien and the knowledge that these things where brutal killers. How could they be so affectionate yet so violent?  
It was the last thing she had expected and was at a loss.

As if sensing her uncertainty, which could easily be possible, the creature focused more on her, positive feelings pouring from it to her.

Joanne clutched her head and tried to think, when Kelly woke up she might demand it be killed or simply do it herself without warning and before she had linked with it Joanne would have been with her every step of the way.

Except now things where different.  
Could she really betray its unwavering trust and allow harm to come to it?


	20. Moving on

_Exams relax their sressful hold and updates can be written... sorry for the long delay : )_

_

* * *

_ Kelly slept, yet her dreams where troubled.  
Joanne skimmed over the nightmares like a dragonfly over a pond, keeping her touch faint, gentle, yet strong enough to do what she wanted.  
She had to know how Kelly would react to their protector before she woke up, so she could… take steps if she had to.  
Carefully she constructed an image of the creature that was sitting besides them, and slid it into Kelly's sub conscious mind.  
Joanne felt the change almost immediately, the disturbing visions Kelly was experiencing becoming more rapid and violent as she re-lived the alien's attack on those she had know, and loved.  
Joanne smoothed out the image she'd introduced, but Kelly's nightmares continued on their horrific trend. She calmed Kelly's roiling mind down, propelling her to a deeper sleep which would not be disturbed by memories, while she withdrew and considered the situation.  
It was not going to work.  
As she had suspected, Kelly would react very badly to the creature. How exactly she would react Joanne didn't know, she might shoot the alien, freeze up and go into shock, run off in panic…  
And none of these would help their situation at all.  
Joanne sighed and the creature beside her clicked soothingly. Joanne resisted the sudden urge she had to stroke its long curving head, it would not be a good idea to remind it of how different they really where. Another rebellion, when it was no longer an infant, would probably be fatal for her and Kelly.  
She looked at the alien again, eyes sweeping over its bizarre form. Before she had thought it ugly, monstrous, yet now…  
Now she could not help but like it.  
The bond that had emerged from her hesitant contact with it had completely and overwhelmingly changed her feelings towards its kind. While she still knew others of its species would attack them on site, this one was hers.  
And she would not abandon it or let any harm come to it.

**>Besides, this was all Kelly's idea anyway. This is what she wants, and it will help us survive, for a bit longer…**

She thought, trying to justify the solution to the problem in her head. Normally she wouldn't do things like this, but then again, 'normal' had gone out the window recently.  
With the glowing feelings of the alien filling her with resolve, she once again entered Kelly's mind, to do what she felt she must.

* * *

"Kelly? Kelly? C'mon, its time to wake up."

Kelly stirred, Joanne's voice bringing her back to the world.

"Wha?" She managed, rubbing her eyes as she tried to focus on the world around her.

"There's someone you should meet."

Kelly blinked a few times, looking around her wide eyed, "Who?" she asked.

"I know it looks a little scary but, well remember the worm that we wanted to guard us? It's grown up, like I said it would. It's ready to protect us."

Kelly looked around with renewed interest, time to see if all their waiting had paid off. She finally saw the creature, which was gazing in her direction, head tilted and…  
Vague thoughts, images crowed in her mind, hazy, unclear and undefined. She feared this alien, yet she didn't know why…  
She tried to catch hold of the thoughts warning her against the thing, but they slipped through her grasp, she could not clarify them. It was like trying to hold oil, somehow each time she tried to think why she was afraid of the creature the vague tatters that were scaring her would vanish, just leaving her with apparently irrational fear.  
Why was she so afraid of something she had not seen, met or known anything about? Joanne seemed fine in its presence. She tried to shrug off her apprehension, but couldn't. Somehow something was very wrong with the monster and… she stopped herself, monster? How did she know it was a monster? It looked pretty awful but she didn't know it would be violent or aggressive.  
Having said that, one look at its sharp fangs and claws told her that it could be dangerous if it wanted to. But it had done her no harm, not even when she was asleep so why was she so uneasy?

"Are you ok Kelly?" Joanne asked her, pulling her attention away from the alien.

"Yeah," She replied, "I'm fine. So umm, everything ok?"

"Yes, I've got a good hold in its mind. Should be very helpful if we meet anything nasty."

"You mean when." Kelly corrected her, still trying to override the alarm buzzing in her head.

"Yeah." Joanne agreed. "This was a really good idea Kelly. It'll make a real difference, I think."

Kelly didn't reply. She had gone back to staring at the alien.

"Well, I think its time for us to get going now." Joanne continued. "We've stayed here far too long and it's a miracle nothings found us yet."

Kelly nodded mutely, getting to her feet.

Joanne gave her a quick smile as she also stood up, then her eyes went distant for a minute.  
The alien swivelled its head around to look at Joanne and though Kelly heard or saw nothing she could tell they where communicating.  
It was more than a little unnerving.

Then it got up and walked slightly in front of them, head looking around even though it had no eyes…  
Kelly shuddered as Joanne touched her shoulder, motioning to follow the creature.

"C'mon." She said to Kelly, "it's time to move on."

* * *

Joanne relaxed slightly. It seemed to be working… for now.  
She didn't know if Kelly's memories where vivid enough to break free of the bonds she'd put on them, covering them over so Kelly would forget her previous experiences.  
Yet she hadn't been completely successful, she could feel Kelly's unease in the alien's presence, but she wasn't screaming or running off or anything else that might endanger them so it would do, for now.

As they made their way towards the entrance of the corridor they had hidden in for so long, Joanne tried to ignore the thought that she'd played with Kelly's memories more out of a desire to keep the young alien safe than to keep Kelly safe.  
She was confused, and the only thing certain in her mind was the strange love of the alien child.

* * *

Symbols in an angry red colour scrolled down several plasma screens in the command room. Cth'ctchi's eyes bored into them, taking in what interested him and ignoring what didn't.  
He was reading hacked transmissions from a nearby Yautja cruiser to pass time, as he was still waiting for the search program to turn up any results. He refused to simply give up on his pursuit for revenge, not until he knew without a doubt she was dead, even if he had to cut open the belly of the Queen herself to see her half digested corpse.

He continued reading the messages from the cruiser. He hadn't been able to locate their destination yet, but it would only be a matter of time. The small ship had suddenly erupted from hyper space alarmingly close to their own, one of the dangers of the 'total' cloaking device one of the more technologically inclined members of his crew had cobbled together to shield them from all ships, yautja included. His eyes narrowed as some disturbing readings flashed up on one of the screens. The ship was transmitting analysis of electrical abnormalities in this region of space, and the values detected where of a frequency characteristic of malfunctioning ship shields.

Cth'ctchi snarled slightly as he looked at the co-ordinates, yes they were of his ship damm it! He thought they had repaired the hull damage from their last encounter with a yautja ship, but obviously not well enough.  
He started cursing as the cruiser received orders to investigate the cause of the disturbance and report back. Of all the corners of the galaxy why was this area being scouted? This hunt seemed to be plagued by bad luck.

He'd have to accelerate his plans slightly, if they identified the life signatures on board then they would simply blow them all up.  
But if he contacted them first, with the news of his victory over such worthy prey…  
Cth'ctchi half smiled, there may be a way to turn this unwelcome visitor to his advantage.

The scrolling screens all displayed a termination code before they went blank as communication between the cruiser and, and whatever it was signalling ended. Probably a main clan ship, or at least an elder's battleship. Oh well, Cth'ctchi couldn't do anything about any of it.

As he leaned back in the command chair a soft bleap sounded from the opposite side of the chamber. Cth'ctchi got to his feet and quickly went to investigate its cause.  
Then he grinned widely, some of his mandible wounds opening once again as he did, but he ignored the pain.  
Because she was alive, and on the move.


End file.
